Grasp of the Unknown (Discontinued)
by TheImmortalOne50
Summary: Ambushed by an unknown being from behind, Thomas awakens in a different environment, unaware of what just transpired. Upon further inspection, he recognizes the place he's in. Has he been teleported to a different dimension? Or is this all just some strange lucid dream?discontinued, sorry.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

Chapter 1 Prologue

* * *

If there was some way, anyway, to traverse through space and time to enter a whole new world, would you take that chance? Or would you deny this once in a lifetime opportunity in light of the numerous benefits and life changing decisions you would miss?

Even if you were to make such a choice, sometimes, the choice is forced upon you by some deity or whatever the being/person might be. These type of people revel in mayhem and destruction and seem to enjoy in meddling with the affairs of normal humans.

This was about to change for our main character here who, err, well… it would be better if you found out for yourselves. No sense in spoiling who the character is.

* * *

The true story begins somewhere in the USA, in one of the states in a city where a boy sat in his room, alone. Keep in mind, he's not really alone, there are others within this household. But we'll be focusing on this boy for now.

"..." No dialogue left the boy's mouth for he was too occupied with his music, wearing blue Sony headphones while staring at his computer screen. It was an AOC monitor with a screen resolution of 1920x1080 and had regular speakers on the sides in addition to a casual gaming keyboard which was glowing green.

The boy was wearing a dark brown and navy blue striped leather jacket with a t-shirt underneath it, regular jeans, and blue & white shoes with white socks and wearing black glasses. The t-shirt in question was a mystery to me but it might be revealed in the future… maybe.

It was a quiet Friday afternoon, the boy having time to relax after finishing his homework the previous day. Not that of middle or high school but the likes of college which is something he didn't really enjoy but he had to attend. "College is both difficult and stressful."

The ginger haired boy finally spoke up, as if he was just answering my question, don't know how he just did that. Wait… ah, it would appear he wants to take over as author. At least, I think he does so I'll transfer control over to him. Stand-by… transfer complete.

"..." What? Were you expecting me to introduce myself? When you think about it, I probably should but I'm… well, it's difficult to explain. But I'm… enough of that, I'm just going to introduce myself. My name is Thomas, nice to meet you readers!

Now then, what will I do today? Should I watch a brand new anime, perhaps a standalone movie? Or will I play one of 119 games I own which consist of Prototype 1 & 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Steins;Gate (The Visual Novel), Clannad and Clannad: ~It's a Wonderful Life~ or whatever game I want to play. I don't really know.

It may not seem like I'm listening, what with my headphones on but since I'm the Author now, it probably doesn't matter. Does this count as a 4th wall break? That I can't say. Now that I think about it, I want to play through SWKoTOR 2* again, for the 3rd time in the past week.

Let's see here… let me just move my mouse over to the game library and click on it. There we go, the game's loading. Give it a few with the maximization, this game still has nugs which I'm perfectly fine with. Oh, and my mousepad is a Skyrim themed mouse pad. Can you guess which one? Hint: It's colored yellow.

Man, this music is awesome. I love it so much! It's the 2nd ending for an anime I really love which I'm not sure people would be fine with me mentioning it. Anyways, I opened KoTOR 2 and now I'm traveling on the surface of Telos, still trying to find my ship, the Ebon Hawk. What was that?!

Sorry, it just feels like someone's watching me, from one of them scary movies or something. I continue trying to get my ship back by traversing the underground back Czerka users. Always up to no good… oh well, I am playing as a light side character. I swear, it feels as if someone is lurking in my room. Sorry, I'm just going to pause my game and turn on the lights.

After I turned the lights on, I took a glance around the small room which is currently occupied by yours truly. It looked the same; there wasn't anyone else in the room. I scratch my head and after turning out the lights, I returned to my computer to play once more.

"Hehehe. He won't know what hit him!" An unknown voice was heard from above but I was too glued to my game to notice the voice. When I was nearing the end of this level, I proceeded to save before I was pushed back, albeit still in my chair, toward my bed all the while hitting my hands together. And my headphones fell off.

"Whoa. That's freaky. What exactly is going on here?" I ask myself before a strange purple, thing… whatever it is, it's surrounding my room like some sort of plague or something. When I got up from my chair to look around the room, I hear a voice from behind.

"Turn around." I twirl around real quick with a hand smacking me right in the face. I fall unconscious, unaware of what had just occurred. "Ow."

"Hehe, this should be interesting…"

Somewhere in a distant location

* * *

Sounds of people talking, walking and selling were heard in such an area which reminds me, I should probably wake the main protagonist up.

[Hey! I'm the main protag ya know!]

Neptune! We've been over this at least 5 times… this is my story. I'm choosing who the protag is. When you get around to being an author, then and only then will you be able to choose your own main protag. For this story, it's Thomas.

[Alright, fine. But you owe me a pudding after this chapter!]

Perhaps the protag of this story will buy you one? Anyways, we need to focus on what's going on in this here chapter. *Ahem*. That's interesting… in this area, the protag is in some dark alleyway or something. He should awaken soon.

"Hnnrg…" Thomas slowly began to awaken after hearing numerous sounds in the area which roused him from such a nap. Slowly and steadily, the orange haired boy began to awaken and stood slowly on his feet, albeit a bit… disoriented.

"What… happened? Where am I? Hmm? This is…" Just as Thomas completely comes to, he sees his aqua colored backpack sitting on the ground a few feet in front of him. He bent over and grabbed the backpack, seeing the zipper was closed and placed it on his back.

When he exited the alleyway, he came to see numerous people walking up and down the sections of the walkway. Looking around, he noticed the people looked… different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it until he looked at his own hands.

Wait… this is basically me. Why am I speaking of me in such a manner? Sorry. When I looked toward the sky, blocking out the sun with my arm I immediately recognized just what had happened to me.

"Woah! Did I just… wait, who's that girl?" I turn my attention to a girl, walking alone along the walkway. She has long jet black hair with most of it worn down reaching her chest with some of it worn in pigtails, wore a black dress and had red eyes. Wait, this girl seems familiar… thinking about it…

"I know her. She's Uni!" I accidentally shouted, covering my mouth after saying such a thing in public. It wasn't too loud but it was loud enough to catch Uni's attention. I turn my gaze away and… oh. Dangit, where did my glasses go?! I have to find them and quickly!

I rummage around the ground, searching for my glasses for several minutes while Uni continued to roam ever so closer to me. I wasn't panicking, just searching for my glasses and all. After a short while, Uni was towering over me with her hair waving due to the wind in the air around us.

"Hey. I think, your… looking for these…" Uni moves her left hand towards me and I notice she was holding my glasses. I slowly and awkwardly take my glasses and put them back on and immediately I stood up.

"Thank you..." Is all I say before I turn around to go, well… wherever. I'm well aware of where I'm am but I'm sure the readers are aware as well. After all, that is the name of the fandom this story is in.

"Hey, wait! Earlier, you… said my name. Do I know you?"

"..." I stare at Uni and turn around to leave but she immediately grabs me by the jacket, not intending on letting me leave. Uni just approached me of all people… why? I'm just a human, nothing special about me. But it would be rude of me to just brush her off like that.

"Hey, don't leave! I just asked you a question!" I awkwardly look at Uni who just asked me how I knew her. Maybe I should tell her. But wouldn't it be weird if I told her I was from a different world where I played several games with Uni in such games? I can't very well lie to her, that's not the type of person I am.

Ah, what the heck. I might as well tell her, a bit… in the next chapter! Haha!

*- For those of you who don't know, SWKoTOR 2, the game stands for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, a very popular Star Wars game.


	2. Chapter 2 Introduction and Questing

I continued to awkwardly stare at Uni, the CPU candidate of Lastation, one of 4 nations which reside in Gamindustri. From my perspective, it looked as though Uni was growing increasingly annoyed by the lack of response.

"Are you going to answer me or what?" A growing impatient Uni said, looking at me dead in the eyes. She really wants to know but telling her would prove… difficult.

 _I can't just say "Hey Uni, I know you from a video game. Can we be friends?" That would kill the mood. Knowing Uni, she would probably get mad and storm off all angry like so I have to give her an answer! The problem is… I'm too shy…._

"Hello? Are you there? I'm still waiting for my answer." Uni snapped me out of my thoughts, still looking me in the eyes. I know I can't tell her I know her from a video game so let's see… no, I'm not going to lie to her. This is really, difficult…

"If you're not going to tell me then that's fine. At least answer me this. Who are you?"

That question I can answer. But what exactly should I tell her? I can't just say my full name to her, she might not remember it. You know what? I'm just going to use my middle name.

"My name is… Thomas." I introduce myself to Uni who extends her hand out, expecting me to shake it. Not wanting to come about as being rude, I politely shake her hand and quickly bring my hand back.

 _Now that was… interesting. Uni actually shook my hand! That was, awesome! I wonder how Uni feels about… no, it's too early for that. We just met._

"Is this your first time in Lastation?" Uni abruptly asks me, slightly taken aback by this question. Well, this IS my first time in this world so I'm going to nod my head in approval.

"First time huh? That's ok. Do you want me to give you a tour of the nation?" A calm Uni threw another question at me, feelin… I want to say, energetic? Heck, I can't read minds so I can't say.

 _Let me think about this… it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a tour guide here, seeing as though, I'm blind to this place. Not literally, just a saying. And the weather is… rather hot. I won't need this jacket so I'll be taking it off._

"...?!" Uni watches in awe as I lower the zipper on my jacket, the poor girl immediately covered her eyes. I get it… she genuinely thinks I'm going to strip in public. It's not going to happen, not now or ever.

 _Just after I take my jacket off, I proceed to hold it in my hands until I get the strangest idea to hand it to her. But it would feel… nah, I'm sure it'll be fine. At least I won't have to carry this thing around._

"..." I say nothing, simply walking over to Uni and tapping her on the shoulder. She becomes instantly startled but notices I'm still clothed, wearing a black Skyrim t-shirt. I hand her my jacket to which she takes it from me and resumes the tour but stop shortly afterward.

"Well? You are coming?" Uni gestures toward me, nodding and I speed walked towards her in seconds, surprising her. As we begin the grand tour, I decide it would be best to listen to my music.

 _Looking down, I notice my Sony blue/purple headphones lying around my neck. I steadily reach for and placed said headphones back on my ears. Reaching for my pocket, I grab my phone which must have fallen inside after what happened and pressed a button, the phone screen lighting up. I move my hand toward the play button at the top and Ready to Die by Andrew W.K begins playing._

Uni happened to notice me listening to music and chose not to interfere. She was far too busy showing me around this vast city which is far more interesting than I thought. Bustling buildings, not so crowded streets, it's basically a paradise of sorts.

We started with a few good cafes around the corner, moved on to a district of source which appeared to be a marketplace and other various nice locations. I must say, all this looks absolutely beautiful! So this is what Lastation looks like up close. Very nice

"And this is one of my favorite cafes to go to." Uni began explaining the cafe to me, even though I was unable to hear her words. Maybe I should lower the volume to a point where I could still hear her and the music?

 _Uni's PoV_

* * *

 _What is this guy thinking? Is he even listening to me or is he listening to his music? Whatever the reason, it's beginning to bother me… a lot. What should I do?_

 _Should I ask him to take his headphones off? Lower his music? Or maybe I should just take his headphones off myself? That doesn't sound like it would be a good idea._

 _I hate being ignored! I should just take his headphones off and… huh. This music is actually kind of catchy. It sounds great, really great! I wonder if he'll be fine with me listening in… Wow, that's loud! It's loud enough where I could hear it from a distance but he's not blasting it._

 _Well it's not too bad so I suppose I could let it be… after all, it's not bothering the citizens around us. I'm sure it'll be alright, seeing as though none of the citizens are doing anything to stop him. Yeah, it'll be fine._

* * *

Reverting to regular PoV

Yeah, it would be a good idea to lower my music… I begin to lower the volume of my music but just as I'm doing this, I notice a look of disappointment on Uni's face. Maybe she wanted to listen to my music as well? In that case, I shall turn my music up yet again.

Uni seemed to enjoy listening to my music, happily turning her head side to side, in key with my music. Now this is interesting, I had no idea Uni was into this kind of music.

[[Think of it as an added feature.]]

Great, it's the author, here to spread murder and mayhem yet again.

[[I know, I'm evil, I'm sooo evil. The readers are going to get confused as to who the author is.]]

You do have a point. But we are one and the same, so this should be fine, right?

[[You do have a point. No matter. Carry on.]]

Now then, I'm just walking some few feet behind Uni who continually eyes behind, to check and see if I'm still following her which I still am. I must say, the weather is nice here and yet, Uni is wearing a frilly dress. I wonder if she ever gets hot in this environment…

[[By the way, isn't the title a bit… misleading?]]

Ugh, again? How so?

[[Well, it is Grasp of the Unknown. You seem familiar with Lastation and Uni. Mind telling us how and why?]]

First off, you already know of what is to come. Second off, this is my story. I will decide when I will explain myself. Get it, got it? Doubt it. *Ahem*. Wow! Look at this place; I think it's the guild? Eh, I don't pay enough attention to these sorts of things. It's just a guess.

"And here we are at the guild." Uni introduced me to the guild. Right on the bullseye! Now that was a lucky guess. There are quite a lot of people here, compared to the other areas in Lastation. It's nice though, being here with a CPU candidate no doubt.

[Yo, wazzup?! It's Neptune, again!]

Another 4th wall break I see. What do you want Neptune?

[I just wanted to check on ya!]

Ok... would you be as kind as to save this for later? I'm in the middle of writing my story.

[Nice! I love stories! What kind of story?]

Sorry, I can't answer that, no spoilers. It will be awesome. That I can guarantee.

[Sorry! I wanted to ask. When will you introduce me in the story?]

That's a good question… I would have to say soon. You will be introduced since this is in the Hyperdimension Neptina universe. Now then, shall we get a move on?

"I sense you my master. Faint… weak." I say aloud, easily catching the attention of Uni who was standing right beside me, surprised I said anything. I merely smile and stare into space, unaware of what was to come next (because I like surprises) and all.

"Ooook. I still have time… want to take on a quest with me?" Uni finally asks me, to which I think about it for a mere moment before nodding. Uni grabs a quest and we immediately leave the Guild, to wherever we're going, I don't know.

We proceeded to head towards the outskirts of this town in Lastation which apparently is the capital of said city. It's very nice but Uni seems… insistent on taking on this particular quest for whatever reason that may be.

This should be fun and most interesting. Since we're travelling a great distance without Uni talking my ears off, perhaps it's safe to… oh right, I'm already listening to my music. This song is really interesting… oh, I wonder where I got it from.

Hmm… slaying a bunch of dogoos… is what the quest said. I merely glanced at it before Uni took it and all I could recall was "slay dogoos" on the request. Any who, this is going to be, awesome!

"Hmm… looks like this is the place…" Uni stops after a while, I follow suit and look ahead of her. There was about a dozen dogoo spread out in an area surrounded by what appeared to be factories. What are dogoos doing here? I was under the impression they only appeared in Planeptune. Oh well.

"This shouldn't be difficult.. You stay behind and watch how awesome I am at fighting!" I do as Uni commanded of me and find a spot to watch from a distance. Uni quickly summons a gun out of thin air and begins gunning down each and every dogoo that tried moving towards her, using a single bullet for each target.

Wow… Uni's a pro at gun use, even more so than I am. Watching her, it reminds me of the time I shot at a paper target and made several bullseye? It's been roughly 4-5 years since I last used a gun. I only ever used a shotgun. Man, that recoil hurt my shoulder! Not too much, just a little.

Oh and by the way, if I'm talking like this, then it's the work of the author. With _italics_ , it's the main character speaking, even though we're one and the same, it's to make it easy to understand. *Ahem*. Uni is truly incredible!

"Ha! Take that!" Uni continues bombarding dogoos using her gun which seems to be a rifle? Feel free to correct me on that respect. Huh.. this makes me feel, nostalgic for some reason. Is it the fact Uni's using a gun? That must be the case… I wonder if she'll let me use her gun.

"Hey, uh… you want to use my gun?" Totally called it! I slowly walk to where Uni is and grab her gun, albeit very carefully. She begins to instruct me in how to use a gun but I... no. It would be very rude to ignore her and seeing as though it's been a few years since I used a gun, I'll listen.

 _Uni's PoV._

* * *

 _He took his headphones off... to listen to me. That's rather generous of him. But what should I tell him? Should I say "I'm going to teach you how to shoot stuff!"_

 _No no no! That won't work! He'll think I'm weird and walk away! I have to think of something smart and witty. Anything!  
_

 _That's it! I'm positive this will work! I'm sure he'll be able to understand, with how awesome of a CPU candidate I am. Hehe!_

* * *

Reverting to standard PoV...

"Ok, I'm going to show you how to shoot. Watch closely." Uni gripped her gun tightly and carefully aimed at a conveniently placed soda can on top a crate and began to fire. *Bang.* She fired and hit the can perfectly. Amazing! This is beginning to jog some of my memories of back then.

 _*Bang*. She fired again, with the same precision and speed as before. From what I can tell, she placed a finger over the trigger and pulled it when she was fully prepared. That is truly amazing, something I'm remembering from maybe... 2-3 years ago? It's been a long time since I attended a campout._

"Ok. Are you ready to try now?" Uni interrupted my thoughts, catching me by surprise. She wants me to use her gun? Well, I suppose I'll take her up on that offer. After all, I'm currently in the mood to shoot stuff... just soda cans. Or dogoos, whichever comes first.

"..." I merely nod at her request and slowly but carefully take the gun from Uni's hands. Keeping the gun aimed at the ground, I proceed to position myself between the ground and one of the conveniently placed soda cans before Uni steps beside me. "No, not those! You'll be taking on dogoos! That's what we came here for!"

 _Uni does have a point... we did accept a quest to quell some dogoos around the factory area. Yes, I suppose it would be fitting for me to take down some dogoos but I'm still... inexperienced. Still, I should be fine, so long as I control my breathing and the way I handle my gun. Here goes..._

 _*Bang*. After realigning my gun and controlling my breathing, I managed to shoot a dogoo but I grazed it by a few inches. Dangit, I missed! I'm going to try again.. *Bang*. Same mistake, the bullet grazed the dogoo by a few inches. Once more... *Bang*. I missed this time. This is harder than I thought. I think I'll give the gun back to Uni._

"Not bad. Here, let me show you how it's done." Uni instructs me to surrender the gun to her which I do and immediately I rush a distance away. She's using the same position as I was using, albeit with more careful aiming and managed to gun down each and every dogoo in the vicinity. Truly incredible.. it's a shame though. Today, I wanted to use a gun, only to end up disappointing Uni. I suppose I needed more practice before I handled a gun.

"That's the end of this quest! Did you see how awesome I was?!" I nod in approval, slightly laughing at what she had said. As proud as ever it seems, very similar to a certain _someone_ who might or might not appear in the next chapter.

"You did well… for a newbie. But it wouldn't be enough to impress my sister." She said the last part quietly but I understood what she meant to say, pretending not to notice. Before we left the guild, Uni turned toward me and said, with a smile: "Speaking of which... I need to tell her what happened. Do you want to come see my sis with me?

"Sure, I'd love that." I immediately cover my mouth, having said a complete sentence to Uni. Well, maybe this won't be so bad.

Before the chapter officially ended, Uni tossed my leather jacket to me, catching it with ease. Now it's over.

What could this possibly mean? Am I finally warming up to Uni? Or is this merely an illusion? Tune in next time on Grasp of the Unknown!

Author's Note.

* * *

Well this was an interesting chapter. It went better than I expected. I like it! Now then, before I conclude… I will be releasing each chapter on Saturdays, or on Fridays. Whichever is fine with me.

There might be days where I would be unable to release chapters due to college work. But all should be well. That is all.


	3. Chapter 3 A Meeting with Noire

"Let's head towards the Basilicom so I can introduce you to my sis!" Uni gleefully says as she leads me across the streets of the capital of Lastation to where her sister is. Huh, her sister… Noire, the CPU of Lastation, also known as Black Heart. I still don't understand why the CPU and CPU Candidates have these strange nicknames.

Anyways, this should be interesting since I've always wanted to meet the CPUs of each nation, more specifically Neptune, the master of 4th wall breaking. At least, in this level of reality.

[Yup! That's me! Meeting Ms. Lonely Heart huh? Sounds like fun!]

Tell me about it… although, she technically isn't lonely. Mean, Noire has plenty of friends. You, Nepgear, Rom, Ram, Blanc… eh, I'll stop there.

[Don't want to spoil the other characters huh? Mind if I spoil your character?]

And how are you planning on spoiling me? How am I a character? Huh? Care to answer that? No wait…

[I can too answer that! You want to get into a relationship with-]

That's it. Crazy annoying person off!

[You can silence me but you can't silence the tru -] Muted.

Jerk. Hehe, all jokes aside, I'm still walking a bit behind Uni who seems content with keeping things as is. Still, it's strange that she's so happy to introduce me… did the author mess this up again?

[[Maybe so, maybe not. Should I program Uni to hate you with a passion? Or should I just eject her from this story?]]

Author, please don't do that. It might go so far as to utterly destroy this story.

[[ Understood. Continue with the story, I'll behave myself.]]

Now that that's out of the way, moving on! I have to wonder though… of what happened back on chapter 1… if I were to explain myself no one would believe me.

There's no possible way the others would ever believe me! There's just no way, I can't even explain why that is! No, onto more important matters… why is Uni leading me to where Noire is? It makes no sense whatsoever. I just. Don't… kno...

"Hey, what's the matter? You've been staring into space for quite a while now." Uni leaned over, flipping my headphones off and interrupting my thoughts. Wow, her face is… too close! I quickly back away from Uni who is confused at first but immediately begins blushing.

"...Sorry…" I shyly say as I turn around and place my headphones back on. That was… weird. But at least I was able to visualize what Uni looks like up close. I say, she looks… nice. I'm unsure what though but she just looks nice.

"That didn't happen. We're still going to see my sis!" Uni annoyingly and slightly angrily said as she moved a bit faster to where the Basilicom is. What's her deal? It's not as if we kissed or anything. She merely leaned forward. She really doesn't have a reason to be nervous or blushing, for that matter.

Well, it might be a bad idea to see Noire. She's the type that works too hard and almost never takes breaks. Is it really a good idea to go with Uni to see her sis, knowing how busy she'll be? Not likely. I think I should turn around but where will I go? I just got here without knowing where I should be.

"What's the matter?" Uni interrupted my thoughts yet again. I should tell her. It really shouldn't be that difficult. Come on, say something.

"...Nothing…" I hesitantly say, walking beside Uni and keeping my head down. I don't bother raising my head throughout the time we're walking together. Meanwhile, Uni continues to lead me towards where Noire's at while I continue listening to my music. Guess I couldn't tell her. Oh blast it all!

We continue walking for quite a while, Uni a few inches in front of me with the Basilicom in the distance. It does look interesting, as well as those around us… just going about their business, per the usual while I walk with Uni. Ooh! New idea! Turning up the volume!

Uni's PoV

* * *

He's turned up his music again… it's the same, catchy tune from before. It really sounds amazing but I… don't know if he'll let me listen in with him. Seems all he wants to do is listen to his music and doze off.

That's alright, I guess. It's not harming me or anyone else but I really want to listen. Should I ask him if it's ok or should I mind my own business?

* * *

Reverting to normal PoV

When I turned up the volume on my phone a bit more, I noticed Uni giving me looks and immediately turning away. It must be my imagination… oh well, this music is pretty amazing. But I shouldn't turn it up too loudly or it might hurt my ear. Not that has stopped me in the past.

Still, we have been walking for quite some time. My feet are feeling a bit tired but not too much as to having to rest constantly every few feet. I'm perfectly fine with walking for a while and Uni gave me that look again. Just what is it does she want?

Could it have something to do with my headphones? Don't tell me she's actually interested in my music… well, it is a distinct possibility. Why can't she just ask me to borrow my headphones? But talking to someone I barely know… that's something that needs improvement. It should be the same as talking to a cashier or someone who works at a bank.

"We're almost there. What's with that look?" Uni inquires when she saw my expression, quickly lowering my head as a result. Come on! This should not be that difficult! You can do this; ask her why she keeps giving me that same look.

"..." No words are gonna come out, huh? Well this is a disappointment. Oh well, I am the silent type… hmm. Ah, perhaps if I walked next to Uni then I'll be able to figure out what she wants. After all, this will simply be walking with a new friend, something I am very capable of doing.

Just after I walk beside Uni, she gives me the look again and moved a tad closer, almost not noticing it. Yup, she really wants to listen to my music. Will she admit it? 50/50. That's my guess. Alright then, I slowly take my headphones off and place them over Uni's ears who immediately takes them off.

"Ow! That's way too loud!" Uni quickly took the headphones off and I immediately reach for my phone and turn down the volume. After handing Uni my headphones, she moves to the right, mainly because my phone is in my right pocket. She hears such amazing music, I doubt she'd want to give me my headphones back. I'll need them but I really need to learn how to share. It's not something I easily do.

So this is Lastation's Basilicom huh? It does look… interesting. There's really not much else I can say on the matter, other than it looks amazing and all. Alright then, how's Uni doing? Wow. She's really enjoying my music. But we arrived; maybe I should let her know...

…

…

…

*Tap*.

…

"Gah!" Uni becomes startled just from a simple tap on the shoulders, her headphones falling toward the ground. Just when I read over to grab them, Uni rushed forth ahead of me, speaking with someone at the front desk.

Now this person looks familiar. A girl with white colored hair, wearing a near-formal jacket with silver lining alongside many buttons and shorts. Yes, she's very familiar… I think she's from Rebirth: 2? That's my guess but besides that, nothing.

"Ah Uni. You returned. I take it your quest went well." The white colored hair girl said, not noticing the fact I was standing behind Uni. I swear, this girl seems very familiar. It's been roughly 2 months since I last beat Rebirth: 2 which explains why I can't recall this person.

"Yeah, I did. It was an easy job! But I didn't go at it alone. Kei, I have someone I want to introduce you to." The black haired girl stands to the side, Kei finally noticing me. Yes! That's her name! Now I remember! She's the oracle of Lastation! I should introduce myself but it's still… difficult.

"Hello. My name is Kei Jinguji, the oracle of Lastation. And who might you be?" I decide to move towards Kei after she introduced herself. I extend my left hand with Kei doing the same and we proceed to shake hands. "I'm Thomas."

After that, I lean against a wall with Kei and Uni bickering about this and that, things that weren't any concern of mine while I managed to sneakily take my headphones which had fallen to the ground. Resuming my music, I stare at the wall for no reason, not knowing Kei and Uni were concluding their conversation.

"I see. Great job on the quest! So you came here to see Noire with Thomas huh? She should be here." Kei said as she began to return to her paperwork, Uni walking towards me and tapped me on the shoulder. I take my headphones off which seemed to please Uni? "Let's go see sis. She should be in her room."

I nod and follow after Uni who leads me to an area where her and Noire rest in. We take a bit of a long stroll through a few corridors before coming upon her room. Uni refuses to let me see anything inside which of course, I respect and turn my gaze away before we finally come upon Noire's room. At the top of the door, a sign reads "Noire's Room".

"Here we are. Let me do the talking around here." I nod as Uni knocks on her sister's door, several footsteps could be heard from the other side. The door is swiftly opened as a girl wearing a fancy dress and regular white skirt, something to be expected of anime girl's. "Hi Uni. Welcome… back. Who's this?"

"Oh, this is Thomas, a friend I found at an alleyway here in Lastation. He hasn't really told me much so I was hoping he could tell you." Uni vaguely says as she began to exit the room, much to my surprise.

"Well, I'll be going now. Bye Noire!" With that, Uni leaves the area and drops my leather jacket onto a counter, leaving me alone with Noire who lets me inside and closes the door behind me. The pigtailed girl led me to a chair, setting my backpack down on the ground next to said chair and sit in a rather unusual position.

"Why are you sitting in that position?! And with your shoes on!" Quickly and narrowly I take my shoes off and try to sit normally but it just… happened. I sit in the chair on all four, my hands together and both of my feet were sitting on the chair which was a normal wooden chair. "Also, why are you wearing headphones?! Isn't that kind of rude?"

"Sorry…" I proceed to mute my music and remove the headphones, placing them around my neck. Silence begins to overtake the room, Noire tapping her foot with impatience, probably waiting for me to introduce myself. Yes, that's what I should and will do.

"My name is Thomas and I come from a different dimension." No! That won't work at all! There's no way she would actually buy this! Think! Wait… thinking about it, didn't Neptune get sent to a different dimension where she met a different Noire? Ah, now I remember. That did happen in Rebirth: 3. This should work, right? It has to.

"Hello. My name is, Thomas. And I come from a different dimension." I properly introduce myself and I look at Noire's expression. Yup, she isn't in the least bit surprised by this. Good, that's good. "A different dimension huh? Did you arrive from the Ultradimension?"

"Sorry, no. I'm not very good at explaining this…" I awkwardly say once more, Noire then began eyeing me down and immediately saw most of my clothing was dirty. Just a bunch of dirt, nothing too serious.

"You're not getting dirt on my carpet! I just got it vacuumed! Come here!" Noire grabs me by the wrist and takes me to the hallways, taking me by surprise. "You're going to take a shower, mister!"

Now that I think of it, I don't think I took a shower today. Darn. Well, I suppose it can't be that bad. After all, I'm in Lastation. I'm ok with this. But why is Noire grabbing me by the wrist, as if I was going to be punished or something? Oh... that smile from earlier. I see how it is.

"You can borrow some of Kei's clothing. In the meantime, get in the shower. I'll show you how to use it." Noire begins to show me how to use the shower as I looked on, understanding what it is she's showing me. I never knew Noire had this side of her.

"Noire... sorry about this." I apologize to Noire who certainly wasn't expecting this. "*Sigh.* It's fine. For now, go ahead and take a shower while I get your clothes ready."

I nod in response to Noire's words and begin to take my shower, the screen slowly fading to black. Can't show that, this shows rated TV-Y7.

After a very short while, I emerge from the shower, wearing a casual suit with black shorts and matching socks. "I like this suit." I say, going toward and slipping my leather jacket back on, pulling the zipper all the way up.

"It seems to fit. That's good." Noire casually said, eyeing the new clothing I'm now wearing all around me. This is... well, awkward. I'm not liking this! Well, at least I was able to meet a CPU and I must say, she's... beautiful. I'm going to stop right there and move on.

"Thank you." I finally say, Noire slightly taken aback by my comment but saw the meaning in my eyes and made such a quick response. "Yeah, whatever." Hehe, typical response from a tsundere Noire. Funny, I guess this is what it's like to meet with a tsundere up close.

Welp, since I'm stuck here, I might as well leave, don't want to be a burden on Noire. Just as I grab my backpack and begin to leave, I accidentally bump into a figure who just so happened to be in my path. "Ow..."

"Sorry. Are you alright?" I quickly ask the girl who slowly but steadily gets up, refusing my aid. Her hair color is black, has red eyes and has tan skin. Just who is this person? I don't think I've ever met this character in any Hyperdimension Neptunia game I played. I'm curious as to who she is so I'll go ahead and ask. "Um, what's your name? I'm Thomas." Wait, am I supposed to be shy around new people? Well, it depends on the situation. I guess it's 50/50. Strange, isn't it?

"I'm Brindle Element." Ah, so that's her name. Very nice, it's far more creative than my own name. Well, since there's not much going on.. scratch that, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. Maybe...

"You said you came from a different dimension, right? Histoire needs to know about this." Noire interrupted my thoughts and grabs my wrist, dragging me away from Brindle Heart who stays where she is, Uni dashing past her to join me and Noire. Well this should be good.

As the three of us exit the Lastation Basilicom, the camera begins to shift towards a different area...

Elsewhere, in an unknown region

* * *

"Hmm… so he is in Lastation. I expected him to appear closer to here." A small being floating on a book said to her comrade who was a very real human being. A bit tall around the edges, wore what appeared to be a witches hat and dark colored clothing.

"It was your fault he landed in Lastation. After all, it was your power that brought him here." The old woman berated her "comrade" whose expression remained unchanged. She continued to stare through an orb which revealed where I was.

"Yeah, I know. It looks like he's with a CPU. Hehehe!" The being laughed with the older woman ignoring the annoying laughing and stared at the small, purple colored orb which sat on a pedestal.

"Just shut up you **** idiot!" The elderly women lashed out at the small, fairy-like being who made a strange sound and conjured up a gun from nowhere.

"I, I think I should-"The women was hit by the beam and sent flying across the room, phasing through the wall. "Take this seriously already!"

"Ugh, fine." The women sighed in annoyance, recovering from the blast she was shot by.

"Anyways, you sure this plan will work, Arfoire? You do have a tendency to fail miserably, even against children." The small being happily insulted the elderly women who was getting rather annoyed by this but made a grunt and moved on.

"Failed? I'll have you know, my plans ALWAYS work. Those accursed CPUs won't know what hit them! Hahaha!"

* * *

Chapter concluded. Continue? Y/N

* * *

Author's Note.

You've made it this far. Congratulations. I must say, quite a bit happened in this chapter which I may or may not spoil. It was nice, working on it, all alone, in my room. Hehe. On an unrelated note, I'm both excited and nervous to take my drivers test on the 27th of this month. I haven't been practicing as much as I should but I still remember parallel parking and whatever else is necessary. I decided to release this chapter because well, I finished working on it early.

Before I end, Brindle Element is not owned by me, she's owned by a friend of mine.


	4. Chapter 4 Arrival in Planeptune

Within a short while, I, Noire and Uni proceeded to leave the Lastation Basilicom, heading towards the nation of Planeptune to fill Histoire in on what had happened with me. Being forced from my own home, it's still rather… new to me. I'm not entirely sure what I should do or even how I'm going to live in a world without my PC!

"Pick up the pace Thomas! We won't ever arrive in Planeptune if all you're going to do is slow us down!" I nod and increase my speed, accidentally outpacing Noire who was genuinely surprised by my sudden increase in speed. I'm not sure why she would be surprised, considering the fact; well… she doesn't know how fast I can go. Makes sense now.

 _He's pretty fast… maybe faster than me. No way! He can't be faster than me! I'll just speed run too!_ Noire thought and decided to do the same as me, increasing her speed but found it was pointless to do this. I was simply faster than her, at least according to my speed walking. I wonder what Uni's doing… probably using the same speed as everyone else.

 _He's still faster than me?! Guess I'll have to go faster!_ Again, Noire increases her speed but it only slightly increased because this is anime, I'm not from the anime world. This should make me faster than most of the Hyperdimension Neptunia characters. Hmm… maybe I'm going a bit too fast? I think I am. I'm not really sure. I wonder what Uni has to say on the matter.

"Uni? Am I going too… fast…?" When I turn around, Uni is nowhere to be seen, she has disappeared. Well, that's what I get for speeding up. Maybe I should go back and find… her. Now Noire has disappeared. That's just brilliant… I hate it when, no. This doesn't usually happen. And I don't like using the h word.

Oh well, at least I get to listen to my music in peace. Alright then, what should I listen to… when I scroll through the available music, I decide to choose a rather new song which is a parody of an original song. It's very catchy with quite a bit of humor in it… I wonder who's curious as to what I'm listening to.

[Oh oh oh! Me me! I wanna know!]

Very well. Did I un-mute you? Eh, it's fine. What I'm listening to is the Alexander Anderson song by Team4Star, if anyone's familiar with that. It's very well done, even though I haven't listened to the original song, its still, awesome! That's it, I'm blasting this song.

"Where did Uni go? I'm even sure where to start…" I say aloud, wandering aimlessly throughout the city, being very careful as to who I ran into, if I ever did that. Oh well, this is nice as well, a calm, relaxing stroll through Lastation. Hehe, this part is funny.

"Well, I'm the vampire that shot him." I don't think this song will ever grow old. Still, I need to locate Uni and join her and Noire to head towards Planeptune. That's weird… I keep hearing very familiar voices. I should lower the volume. Just when I did this, I recognize the two voices I kept hearing.

"Thomas! There you are! Honestly… you move too fast for someone of your age. I found Uni wandering the streets, same as you. Come on, let's get a move on!" Noire annoyingly said, turning around and moving toward an area which should lead to Planeptune? I don't know, I'm just a follower here, alongside Uni. I'm super excited to meet Neptune and the others but yet… what is this feeling?

I really want to meet Nepgear and Neptune, I really do! So why am I not feeling as excited as I usually am for something new? Could it be the day I've been having? Or is it something else which disrupted my day? Either one seems logical but I am unable to figure out which one would fit this particular situation.

This isn't the first time that this has happened but I'd rather not get into *that*. What I will say is, I was in a pretty sour mood roughly 2-3 days ago. Anyways, I should resume searching for Noire and Uni who disappeared due to how fast I am. I shouldn't be super-fast though, just as fast as a human.

"Hey…" Hmm? What was that? I thought I heard a familiar voice call out to me from afar. Perhaps I should lower the volume of my music. When I do this however, the voice was even more loud and recognizable than before, possibly due to the volume of my music being lowered.

"Hey. I'm talking to you." There it is again. Just who does this voice belong to? Hmm… according to my memory, it can't possibly be that of Noire now could it? Roughly 50/50 but only at that. I'll just take my headphones off so I can listen more clearly to who the voice could be.

"Ahem! Look behind you!" A familiar voice beckoned to me from behind and I quickly turn around, noticing an exhausted Uni who was sweating from her forehead. Wait… why is she able to sweat? I thought she was in perfect shape, given the fact she is a CPU, albeit a candidate. Oh look, Noire's behind her, not nearly as exhausted as Uni is.

"Sorry…" I apologize to Uni who turns around and beckons me to follow with a simple hand gesture and of course, I follow her. Why is it anime characters are so easily exhausted from walking a short distance? I don't think I'll ever understand that confusing concept. "It's alright…"

Very nice, Uni just said it was alright under her breath. All is well then; this is going to be a nice, relaxing walk to Planeptune. I wonder how Nepgear and Neptune are doing… well; Neptune slacks off so that's obvious. Nepgear, not so much. I still don't get why I'm not over the top excited to meet them though.

Hmm… now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder what else Nepgear and Neptune do on their breaks or off-time, I don't know. That… is not an easy question to answer, at least from my perspective. I guess it doesn't really matter all that much, I just want to meet them.

"You're walking too slow!" Noire suddenly appeared behind me and poked me with a stick she just so happened to find. But the stick poked my backpack instead. I wonder which scene this is from. Perhaps I am moving a bit slow but I don't want to move too fast, so as to lose them yet again. Yeah, I'll move a bit faster, at a pace that Noire and Uni can still keep up with.

There we go, I'm speed walking again but at least Noire and Uni can keep up with me, right? When I look back, I notice the two girl's a few feet behind me, apparently struggling to catch up with me. Hmm… I'm starting to wonder about a CPU being powerful in this dimension. Also, why am I imagining Noire performing the Fusion Dance with Uni?

Eh, my minds always imagining strange things… how long will it take to arrive in Planeptune from Lastation? And now Noire and Uni are ahead of me. Oh no they don't! I'm the one who should be faster! Just as I increase my speed, the two move out of the way and increase their speed as well, trying to match my own.

"You are kidding. Not going to happen! I'm the only one who gets to be fast!" I dashed passed Noire and Uni who were taken aback by my sudden increase in speed, completely bewildered. This could go on for hours but I decided to slow down, Noire and Uni managed to catch up to me in roughly 5-6 minutes. I wasn't really counting but this is my guess.

Wait a monna...I just noticed something very important. I'm not stuttering as much as I usually do. Whenever I tried saying long sentences, no one could understand me. Sometimes, not even myself. Could it be it was removed in this story?! This is simply a guess.

"*Breathing heavily.* Huh. Your crazy fast. Was it necessary to outpace us?" Uni sighed, catching her breath with her older sister doing the same while I remained confused by her statement. They seem exhausted by the looks of it. Maybe I did go too fast this time around. My heart is racing, yes, but I am enjoying this exercise.

"Ugh, it doesn't really matter. Let's just head to Planeptune and explain this mess to Histoire." An annoyed Noire said, walking past me and heading towards Planeptune with me and Uni joining her. I shouldn't get annoyed by this since this is how Noire is, a tsundere as Neptune has said many, many times.

~45 minutes later.

* * *

"We arrived, finally! That took longer than expected, probably because of Thomas slowing us down!" Hmm… you know, even after playing through HDN Rebirth: 1, 2 and 3, I still don't fully understand Noire. Is she mad, sad? Hiding her feelings? These things I do not know the answer to. Well, she doesn't seem mad to me, at least from my point of view. At least Uni is still here with us, to make the trip more… bah, I don't know.

"Come on Thomas, let's see Histoire." Uni says, directing me toward the Nep Tower as the locals seem to call it and something I remember from HDN The Animation which I absolutely loved! Well, I should move onwards, don't want to be left behind again. When me, Noire and Uni head through the streets, something in the crowd catches my eye.

"Huh…" Where I'm looking at appeared to be some sort of stick with the end part curved and a hat was seen near it. Just as I drew closer, the person noticed me from afar and moved towards my direction. "What's this? Someone has spotted my presence."

"You there! Are you part of the organization?! Answer me!" Is she talking to me? Yeah, that should be obvious… and the part she said at the end. The organization..? Hmm… this reference is very familiar to me. Oh yeah! That's from ****** ****. Oh, why is it censored? This person did ask me a question. Hmm… eh, I'll just deny it, not like I have any other options.

"I'm, uh… not part of the organization." I seriously doubt she'll buy this, after all, she is supposed to be a "mad scientist" who is directly correlated to a certain mad scientist from a different show. Her name should ring a bell but I haven't played Rebirth: 1 in quite some time.

"How long are you going to stand there? Come on, let's go!" Uni grabs my collar from behind and pulls me away from the girl wearing a long blue colored dress who eyed me down before turning away. After a rather short while, we finally arrive at the Nep Tower. So this is it huh? Up close, it does look… interesting.

"Hmm? Was that Uni?" A voice was heard from behind us, something which was very familiar to me. I know its a girl but I can't seem to put my finger on… oh. Now I remember, of course! The second person Neptune, CPU of Planeptune, met in Rebirth: 1. "Oh, hey IF."

"Hey Uni. Here to visit Nep?" IF asked Uni, not noticing I was standing next to Uni who was now conversing with IF. It's fine, really, I'll just stand here and happily listen to my music while Noire grows impatient. "Iffy, there's someone next to Uni."

"Your right. Hey, who are you?" IF directed her attention toward me, lowering the volume and I took my headphones off. When I look at IF… wow, she must have a dozen phones on her. It's crazy, man. It's crazy. That's unimportant. I'll introduce myself. "I'm Thomas."

"Nice to meet ya Thomas. I'm IF. You'll most likely see me around the Guild. Are you here to see Nep as well?" I nod at her question, the girl eyeing the phone I have in my pocket, barely able to see it from where she's standing. Why would she want to look at my phone? It's not interesting. "I'll be joining you then."

With that, Compa and IF proceed to walk alongside me, Noire and Uni inside an elevator which led to the top of the Nep Tower. Why such a building was given a name is beyond me. Well.. wow, the view from here is, amazing! Simply exquisite. "Tom-Tom?"

"Hmm?" I look around for anyone else named Tom-Tom, only to realize Compa was referring to me. I seem to remember Neptune given the nickname Nep-Nep by Compa since apparently, it's too difficult to pronounce Neptune. Eh, I'm not judging, just saying. "Are you feeling alright?"

I nod at Compa's question and wait for the elevator to reach the top floor which didn't take as long as one would expect. When we finally arrived, the doors opened, revealing the living room where I get to meet three more important characters. "Neptune, for crying out loud, get some work done!"

"But Histy, I've been working for the past two hours! Don't I deserve a break?" Neptune complained about working to Histoire, as per the usual. I find this humorous mainly because this seems to be a recurring joke in the series, the games and the manga which I did read although I haven't read all the HDN manga's, I plan to. One day. That and Histoire's absurdly long lectures.

"No! If I left you take a break, you'll just slack off for days! Get more paperwork done and maybe, just maybe we'll discuss this break of yours." Histoire yelled at Neptune who resumed her paperwork, albeit with a bit of sass while the rest of us who arrived were apparently being ignored. Makes sense, I'm fine with this. "Histoire, I think we have some visitors."

Nepgear takes notice of those gathered in front of the elevator, Histoire floated over to see who had just arrived. Out of all the people she noticed, I was the only one who stood out among the crowd. Is it my hair, weight? Height? Your guess is as good as mine or greater. "Your right, we do have some visitors and a newcomer. Who might you be?"

"Who, me? My name is Thomas." I introduce myself and happily shake Histoire's hand who immediately brings it back. Huh… I guess it's because of my big hands. Hmm? Oh, Nepgear is walking towards me. Is she? Whenever this happens, it's usually the person behind me that the person wants to see. "I'm Nepgear, CPU Candidate of Planeptune. Nice to meet you…"

I proceed to shake Nepgear's hand after she formally introduced herself to me which was very nice. She looks very… nice. Not much else to say. What's this? When I turn my gaze toward an object on the floor near the sofa, I recognize it as an Xbox and move towards it. Upon further inspection, this appears to be an Xbox 360, very similar to what I had back at home. I should probably ask if it's ok to play this before starting it up. "You can play it if you want!"

As if reading my mind, Nepgear appears behind me and grants me permission to use the Xbox 360. When I booted it up with a light tap on the power button, the Xbox came online and I grabbed a controller which was still plugged into the back of the Xbox. To my surprise later, however…

"...?" I silently looked confused as I look at the tv screen, the profiles I see look exactly the same as back at home. Not only that but when I open the game disk tray, I noticed the 1st Prototype game was inside. How did this happen? This can't be possible. Could it?

"Of course it's possible! The two controllers, the Xbox 360 gaming console and game disk… all came out of nowhere!" Neptune proudly said while pointing at the Xbox 360. The classic cricket sounds could be heard as a result.

"Nep, we don't have time for your nonsense. We need to know how this kid arrived here!" Kid? Really? In no possible way am I a kid. Mean, look at me… I'm 5"11, I sound like an adult.

"But it really happened Iffy! It was all poof! Right here!" Neptune points to the sofa where she goes to explain but almost no one listened to her. Histoire's look… it's the same as before. Is she not surprised or…?

"*Sigh*. Very surprisingly, in this case… Neptune is, well... correct." It takes but a moment for this to sink in with everyone but me and Histoire yelling "WHAAAAAAAT" at the exact same time.

"How did my Xbox 360, controller and one of my games appeared in this world?" I proceed to ask with Histoire trying to come up with an answer as to how it arrived and remembers something just as important, if not more. "To answer your question, I'm not entirely sure. It is such a strange thing, to happen out of nowhere. Since you said that, that would imply you are from a different dimension, correct?"

"Yes." I nod at Histoire's question who begins pacing, er, floating back and forth with the others, myself included, curious as to what Histoire is thinking about. "Hmm… I'll need some time to come up with a logical answer. Give me three days. Thomas, for now you may rest in Nepgear/Neptune's room."

"Say what?! Why are you letting a boy sleep in our room?! That room's reserved for me and Nep Jr. only!" Neptune jolted out of her seat in front of Histoire and began arguing with Histoire who didn't seem to be in the mood for this nonsense. No wonder… it's nighttime. I wonder if there's a guest room here.

"Neptune, it should be alright. We do have an extra bed in our room, right? He just needs to leave the room whenever we're changing." Nepgear decided to speak up, surprising Neptune that her older sis has betrayed her. Neptune then began complaining that she'll have to share a room with a guy. Curious as to what day it is, I decide to check on my phone.

"Hmm… November 17th, 2017. Only 10 more days…"


	5. Chapter 5 Three Days

I should have added this in chapter 1... Arc 1. Plot of the Unknown.

"10 Days? Until what?" IF spoke up, her gaze fixed on me which made me feel awkward, turning my head around to face the opposing wall. Technically it's 3 days from now but I'll let that part slide and move on. As to what I should tell her… I'm much too exhausted to tell her. I need to get some sleep.

"..." I say nothing, grabbing my headphones and placing them in my backpack as well as my phone. After that, I proceed to enter the hallway but uh… hmm… I have no idea where Nepgear/Neptune's room may be. Well this is annoying, I know I should ask for directions but I'm exhausted. 'Twas an awesome walk today but it wore me out.

"You don't know where to go, huh? Let me help you. Come on, follow me!" As if reading my mind, Nepgear signals for me to follow her down the hallway which of course, I do. Nepgear, CPU candidate of Planeptune and Neptune's older sister… this is truly incredible! It's not every day you get to meet an anime character, especially your all-time favorite.

"Here's our room! We normally don't allow guys in here but its ok for now." Nepgear shows me her and Neptune's room which is… interesting. It's a bit messy but not too messy… is that a sock on the floor? And a shirt? Towels on the floor? This reminds me of my youngest brother who almost never seems to clean his room. At least the bed is made. That's good.

"Hmm. It's 8pm… I'm hungry." My stomach growls which catches Nepgear's attention and an additional guest I haven't been introduced to yet who walks toward me with a gleaming smile. Was it something I said? "Hi there. I'm about to make dinner. You should join us; it's not wise to ignore your tummy."

"...I'll join you." Compa left the room after I said that, happily going to cook a good meal. I guess, I really can't say if it's good or bad since I haven't tried it yet. Whatever it is. Eh, it's fine, I'm not complaining. Hmm.. This smell in the air, it's very… familiar. I seem to recall having this before, on a Sunday.

"Hey. If you're going to join us, you might as well come outside." A voice echoes from the doorway, belonging to a girl named IF. Well this is going to be interesting, so many Neptunia characters… I might as well. I'll just set my backpack by the bed and I'll join her. When I follow after IF to an area close to a window, I notice a medium sized table being prepared.

"Your here? Good. Who do you want to sit next to?" Compa asks from the kitchen, wearing a standard chef's apron you see on TV and carried a spatula in her right hand. Hmm… who to sit with? My personal preference would be next to Nepgear but I'm not sure Neptune would approve of this. Nah, what the heck, I'll do so anyway. "...Nepgear.."

"You want to sit with Nepgear huh? Her seats near Nep. Go ahead." IF points to a seat which at first, I don't understand where it is but when I see Neptune take her seat, I follow after and take the seat next to Nepgear. I begin to doze off into space with my left foot on the chair, as per the usual with Nepgear apparently showing interest? I don't know, your guess is as good as mine.

"Tom-Tom? What kind of drink would you like to have? We have quite a bit here." Compa calls me by the nickname she gave me, showing me several drinks which consisted of Diet Coke, regular Coke Cola, Sunkist, Fanta Orange… wait, they have Fanta in this dimension? Heck yes! I love that stuff! "The Fanta Orange please."

"Coming right up!" The girl wearing an apron says as she grabs a canned Fanta Orange and places it on the table alongside a plate, paper towel, a fork and a knife. When she placed the fork, knife and towel on the right, I proceeded to move it to the left. A few minutes pass as we patiently wait, Nepgear and Neptune talking to one another, IF was playing with her phone while I stared off into space. The thought hits me about what will happen in 3 days from now.

"Dinners ready! This time, I made Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes & gravy and bread on the side." Compa returned to the table with the food prepared on dishes and placed them in the middle of the table. The food was then served to each of us by Compa herself and took her seat after she was done which was next to IF. Huh… Noire and Uni aren't here, guess they left.

Ah, the good stuff… I love it! Now, let me see… with the fork, cutting through the steak should be simple, when I'm faced with such delicious food. Mmm… yup, this is what my dad would usually buy at Walmart. This is beyond delicious… I love it! "You are Thomas, correct?"

"Yes..." I answer the question of a floating fairy just across from where I sat, on a book no doubt. She is Histoire, the Oracle of Planeptune, as expected. Hmm... I am curious as to how she floats but I'll save that curiosity for later. "My name is Histoire. Could you tell me where you came from?"

"..." I concentrate on my food, ignoring Histoire who is annoyed at first but sees just how wonderful the food is and checks the time on her, watch? I guess it's a watch, I can barely tell. "Ah, it's 9:30pm. I see you are still eating, my apologies. Will you please tell me where you came from tomorrow?"

"Yes, understood." I reply to Histoire who takes her leave of the room, leaving me, Compa, IF, Nepgear and Neptune to eat our dinner. She seems nice for someone I just met. Huh, it's more interesting than I thought. Hehe, how lucky I am to be in the Hyperdimension world… truly amazing. At the same time as when I eat, I get the strangest feeling that someone is watching me. Who could that be? Oh well, time to drink some soda.

"Ohoho! Someone's drinking soda. Chug! Chug! Chug!" Neptune encouraged me to drink my soda in one sitting, something which isn't possible for me so I ignore her and place the soda down after 10 sips. Hmm… I finished with my food but it seems there's still some leftover Salisbury Steak as well as some bread. I am feeling awfully hungry so maybe I will. "Is it ok if I have some more, please?"

"Of course! Take as much as you want!" First, I grab the last of the bread. Then, I reach over with my fork to grab some steak but at the same time, I see another fork reach for the last one. When I turn toward who the fork belonged to, it was none other than Nepgear who immediately brought her hand back. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wanted some as well... Should we split it?"

I nod in response to her question and she used her fork to place it on her plate. When she cut it in half with her fork and knife, I moved my plate closer and she placed the bigger half on my plate. "Thank you."

"Aww man! I wanted the last of the Salisbury steak! You're a meanie." Neptune pouted about not being able to have the last steak. If she wanted one, should she have asked anyone else? Not that I'm one to say this, usually I would ask if anyone wanted the last bread or whatever was left over. Eh, these things happen. Oh well, its fine.

"Say Thomas, earlier you mentioned something about 10 days. What did you mean by it?" IF interrupted my thoughts when I placed more food in my mouth, a tad bit annoyed at what had just happened. What a predicament this is… since I'm going to be here a while, I might as well say it. "Well… on Monday at exactly 2:20pm, I'll be taking… my drivers test."

"You're taking your driver's test? That sounds amazing! Congratulations!" Nepgear happily remarked on my previous comment, with such a beautiful smile adorning her face. Now that I think about the test… oh no. This isn't good… with my lack of practice; I don't know how I'll do on the actual test. Nepgear… said congratulations. That makes me happy. "Thank you, Nepgear."

"Your welcome! Hehe." Laughed Nepgear did for no apparent reason, finishing her meal and going to clean her silverware. Guess I should get up as well but since someone's in the kitchen, I'll wait. My soda can is empty… guess I drank it all without realizing it until now. "I'll take care of the dishes for you."

"Thanks." I reply after Compa took my stuff to take care of after Nepgear exited the kitchen. Oh boy… I'm genuinely afraid of taking my driver's test. It's only 3 days away and yet…. I'm absolutely terrified. I don't know how well I'll do… "Hey Thomas, you alright? Your legs are shaking."

"...It's nothing…" I conclude following IF's words and head towards the room I was assigned to by Nepgear, slumping onto the comfy bed and thought about the fear of taking _that_ test. The driver's test is going to cover quite a bit, I'm unsure of how I should properly handle it. I know I have to take it, but yet… "Thomas" You feelin alright? Your face looks frozen."

"Neptune… I'm fine. And what is going on with me?" I ponder to myself about this, being able to communicate more easily with the others. Have I already adapted to this world and it's inhabitants? Most likely, yes. But this fear I'm feeling… there's no way I can take the test like this. No way. "You're worried about that whatamacallit test, right? You'll do just fine, it's just a stupid test. I'm sure you'll-"

"Nep, it's not JUST a test, it's the driver's test. Every soon-to-be driver has to take one, including Thomas here." IF interrupted Neptune from the doorway, interjecting on the conversation and moving towards me. When she sits on the bed next to me, I get a bit nervous. "You'll do just fine. Drivers tests are hard but not impossible since I had to take mine."

"You have? What class did you take the test in?"

"Class M, the motorcycle. It was difficult, yes but I practiced hard to pass the test." IF then began to explain how she was able to pass her driver's test which surprised me. True, she did score a 98/100 but only because she skidded a little towards the end. Thankfully, she didn't crash but I'm still afraid of taking my driver's test.

"That's amazing… but how can I take the driver's test when I lack the required documents?" I interjected, IF thinking about the words I just said and replied with a simple "Then you might need to reschedule it". Disappointing but it's very likely to happen. Huh… somehow, I'm feeling a lot better than before.

"Thanks for your help, IF. I'm tired so I'm going to bed now. Night." IF left the room after I said this and crawled under the covers, wanting to go to sleep. Even though I'm still afraid of taking my driver's test, I really shouldn't be since it's just driving a car with a passenger. That's all it is.

Chapter concluded. Continue? (Y/N)

Author's Note.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter guys, disappointing I'm sure. Your probably wondering if I really am taking the driver's test on Monday. Well, I am and I must say, I am afraid to take my driver's test. I misplaced the certificate for driver's ed I took roughly 3 years ago which is needed in order to take the driver's test.

Well, that's all I have to say. Enjoy this story or don't. Your choice.

Signing off.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hmm… hmm…." I attempt to sleep in the large bed with purple covers and regular white pillows Nepgear and Neptune were kind enough to let me rest in but it's still… difficult for me to fall asleep. How long has it been since I tried falling asleep? 2 hours? 4? Such a thing has always proven to be… troublesome for me.

Even so, I still manage to fall asleep, after an hour or two, depending on how active my mind is at the time. Mostly, it's placing me in a characters spot such as instead of Thor fighting Surtur, it's me or moving that scene to somewhere in Gamindustri… it's ever changing. Still, at least I manage to fall asleep in the end.

Wait, I think I'm missing something here… my pajamas. But those are back at home so I guess I'm going to sleep in my shorts… it's what I've been doing for years. And another important detail… I need to pray before I go to sleep. I'll just make it quick and pray in my head since praying aloud is… annoying. Possibly due to how difficult it is to annunciate things.

 _5-10 minutes later…_

"...Amen…" I conclude and proceed to sleep on my right side and shift to the left every few minutes… this again huh? It's part of life so it really doesn't bother me that much. But I really want to fall asleep so I may take that driver's test tomorrow… "Hey. Are you awake in here?!"

"Neptune…" The energetic girl enters the room, still wearing her casual clothing, shouted from afar, and startling me in the process. A few steps behind her was none other than Nepgear who too was wearing her casual clothing.

"So you ARE awake. Do you think you could, uh, leave our room? We're going to change into our pajamas and get our butts to bed." Seconds later, I speed walked out of the room and closed the door behind me, a locking sound was heard from the other side. It's all good! I'll just wait here, I don't mind.

Well, I'd rather if I not wait here so I'm heading towards the living room where all the lights were shut off and apparently, IF & Compa went to their respective bedrooms (if they sleep in the Basilicom.) I do see someone by the windows… is that Histoire?

"Oh, Histoire." I call out to her who turns her gaze towards me. Huh… was the night sky always this amazing? I loom over to Histoire who returns her gaze to the window, watching the beautiful night sky with all the lights in the city deactivated for the night. "Hello Thomas. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah… Nepgear and Neptune kicked me out. It's fine." I respond to Histoire who sighs upon hearing these words and turns her gaze back toward me, a look of seriousness in them. "This is unrelated, but are you prepared to take your driver's test?"

"Not, really… I haven't been practicing as much as I should. I want to pass my driver's test but I'm… honestly afraid." I don't shiver in fear rather, my arms shake, a bit. Histoire notices this and floats over to the kitchen and attempts to grab a glass but it's beyond her reach. I proceed to help her who asks for water and water she received.

"Thank you Thomas. I'm sure with your level of experience; you'll easily pass the test." Histoire commented on my previous comment, catching me by surprise. How does she know how much experience in driving I have? Has she been watching me? Such a thing is very unlikely but I am curious. A discussion best saved for another tim-

"Hey Thomas! Sorry for taking so long but we finished getting dressed. You can come back inside now." Nepgear interrupted my thoughts as she came from the hallway, telling me it was ok to return. I proceeded to follow after Nepgear through the hallway and allow me to enter the shared room once more.

"Oh Thomas, your back. This'll be weird but I'm sure it'll be fine. Come on, join in!" Neptune urges me to join her on the bed which I awkwardly, slowly move towards which is possibly due to me sleeping with someone I barely know (is this allowed?) When I finally get in the middle, Neptune goes over to shut the lights off and closes the door before returning to get some rest.

"Mmm… this i-is… weird, sis." Nepgear shyly says to which I nod in her direction. This IS weird, sleeping with girls I barely know and all. Are there guest rooms here? That I do not know but… I'm feeling awfully tired. "Night Thomas, Nepgear." As I begin to fall asleep, I get the distinct feeling I'm forgetting something…

 _The following day_

"*Yawn*. That was a nice rest… what time is it?" I get up to check the time on my phone which reads _8:50am_. Heh, how typical. I tend to wake up around this time, no matter how much rest I got the previous day. Oh well… awww~ Now that's adorable. Nepgear and Neptune are huddled together; I guess they moved quite a bit in their sleep.

"Pudding… more. Feed me…" And Neptune's having a weird dream. Heh, I'm going to find where the restroom is. When I leave the room, I quietly close the door so as to not wake up Nepgear and Neptune and proceed to locate a restroom of sorts. Now that I mention it… oh… I have no idea where to find it. Hey wait… where did I place my glasses at? Right…

I go back to the shared room and find my case where I keep my glasses in, opening it reveals my glasses and the cloth I use to clean it. After cleaning it, I put my glasses back on and put my case down on a bookcase before silently leaving the room once more. Ah, it's IF. She should know where the bathroom is.

"*Yawn.* Morning IF. Do you know where the bathroom is?" I groggily ask IF who is still wearing her pajamas and directs me towards where the bathroom is. After thanking her, several minutes pass as I leave the restroom and direct myself to the kitchen where I may have cereal or whatever is available here.

Before I could enter the kitchen however, I notice Compa is way ahead of me, a familiar scent overtaking the living room. "Oh, good morning Tom-Tom! Today, I'm making pancakes! Take a seat; it'll be ready in a few." I do as I'm told, taking a seat by the windows while IF slowly follows suit.

"Huuh. Oh, today's the day, huh? You did say you were taking your driver's test today, right?" IF asked out of the blue which inserted a feel of dread and fear within my heart. To be completely honest, I'm not ready to take my driver's test but I have to and it's something I want. "..."

Silence overtakes the room for but a moment as I patiently wait for breakfast. Usually, I'd have pop tarts or waffles for breakfast but I do love me some pancakes. "Are they still asleep? *Sigh*. I'll go wake them."

IF was quick to leave the table in order to awaken Nepgear and Neptune. Again, silence overtook the table as I stared at the windows, amazed at how beautiful the view is. "Tom-Tom, since you got here first, here you go!" Compa placed a plate on the table which consisted of two medium-sized pancakes topped with pancake syrup and milk on the side.

"I'm… not sure I can finish this.." I say but I begin my eating anyway, using my fork and knife in order to devour the pancakes one by one. When I manage to finish the first one, something most unusual happens. Upon moving onto the next pancake, I feel as if I could eat it without facing fullness, as if I were born anew.

"Huh. Strange…" I conclude, finishing my breakfast and downing the milk in seconds with mild brain freezes along the way. This shouldn't be happening… how was I able to devour my breakfast and still feel this... hungry? Usually, I would feel full after any meal, regardless of how much I ate. And I'm super skinny.

"Did you like it? I did the best I could to cook this meal." Compa said with a proud smile adorning her face while leaning in close to me. I'm blushing; I know… who wouldn't blush at such a rare occurrence? Well, I'd better answer her. "This was… awesome! Thank you Compa."

"Your welcome! Hehe. Are you finished with your breakfast?" I nod in response to her question who grabbed the plate and took it and my milk as well as my silverware to the kitchen which I then left and went to the living room, slouching down on a couch. What to do, what to do… I feel like I want to play Skyrim so I will… on my Xbox 360.

I turn the console on and login to my profile when prompted to and chose the game from the game library. It came with my Xbox 360 as a code thing when I got it for my 18th birthday. My parents paid for it which amounted to roughly $600 or more, possibly due to the other games that was bought alongside this Xbox 360 Slim. "Gaming huh? Well, since you're a guest I'll let it slide, for now."

"Histoire… thanks." Just after that, I choose the profile I wish to play as, that of a low level warrior-themed character and switch weapons to match the skill set I use. As I begin playing, Nepgear and Neptune walk past me from their room, albeit a bit… groggy.

 _3 Hours into playing Skyrim…_

"Hmm? Woah, he's good. He's playing, what, Skyrim without looking at the controller." Neptune notes about my skill and the game I'm playing, already at lvl 10 or so and slaying trolls somewhere in Whiterun hold. While I'm busy playing one of my favorite video games of all time… "Nep-Nep, Tom-Tom. Lunch is ready!"

"Understood." I decide to save my game and shut the console off, joining the others for lunch is simple peanut butter sandwiches and orange juice. Yum, I do love sandwiches but… it's been years since I had some. Back at home, I could eat chicken pot pies which was, awesome! "Mmm… delicious."

"I'm glad you like it, Tom-Tom! Hehe." What a wonderful voice… truly amazing, it's superior to my own. I should focus more on eating, else someone might get suspicious. What is this though? This sense of enjoyment. Eating alone is something I prefer but this… this is not what I was- "Thomas, I know we're supposed to be eating right now but I will ask it anyway. Do you have all the necessary documents to take your driver's test?"

"Oh those? I should, let me go check." I get up and rush towards the shared room from the table and went through my backpack and… wait. How did my laptop get in here? And the charger for the laptop? I don't remember putting those two in my backpack. Well, at least my binders here… let me see. Application, check. Certificate from driver's ed course? Check.

"You seem to have everything. Alright then, IF here will take you to the local DMV. Good luck!" Histoire says as she pats me on the back and I follow after IF. The time is currently 1:40pm (wait, how did time fly by so fast?) with the two of us taking the elevator to the ground level.

"The DMV should be a few blocks away. Up for a bit of walking?" I nod at IF's question as I follow her for a few minutes as we dodge past several townspeople and make it to a medium sized building. In my arms are the necessary documents I require for the test as well as the payment in my wallet, in my pocket. "Let's get a move on!"

 _Roughly 20-30 minutes later…_

"It's been a while. I hope Tom-Tom did well." Compa breaks the silence which overtook the room. Neptune was playing a single player game while Nepgear was sorting out some paper work Histoire assigned to Neptune but her sister decided to take over.

"He'll be fine, don't worry! I think. Oh no! Phew, that was a close one." Neptune's comments weren't helping ease the nervousness in the atmosphere. Nepgear was trying to concentrate while Compa was cleaning the kitchen with the supplies she has lying about. Growing annoyed by Neptune's gaming, Histoire floats in front of the CPU. "You should be working, not gaming all day! Get some work done or I'll take away all your pudding!"

"But Histy… aoh, fine!" Neptune annoyingly dropped her controller and headed towards the elevator which, just in time, arrived just when she needed it. "Nep what?! Back already?!"

"Yeah…" Finally back, me and IF return to the Basilicom but I head towards my room with a single piece of paper in my right hand while IF carried the rest of the documents. When I closed the door, IF went towards the others and told them what happened.

"You see.. He forgot to watch one of two videos which is required by law. He was unable to take his driver's test today…"

Author's Note.

* * *

Greetings all, sorry for the wait. I originally planned to release this chapter yesterday but.. Laziness overcame me. As for what happened, I was unable to take my driver's test on Monday because of the video I forgot to watch about driver safety. It was truly disappointing but I got over it.

It was sad but I guess it's natural. My next driver's test is scheduled for January 23rd at 10:20 am. Wish me the best of luck!

Also, am I rushing the chapters too fast or are they at the correct pace? That is all.

Continue? (Y/N)


	7. Chapter 7 Disappointment

The news was truly disappointing… everyone in the room (excluding me) were sad to hear of the news IF told those who were still present, well… not much can be said about Neptune. She halted her game for a few moments but resumed it thereafter while her sister, Nepgear showed noticeable shock and worry.

"Uh-oh…" Was all Nepgear could muster before he decided to head back to the shared room but IF grabbed her by the shoulder from behind, shaking her head. "Nepgear, let's give him some time to think."

Nepgear was speechless thereafter but gave a simple nod to her friend and went back to gaming with Neptune on the Xbox 360, playing as a guest. Compa decided to do the same and resumed washing the dishes while I remained in the shared room.

Alone, within the room, I gripped my right hand into a fist very rightly, angered and annoyed by what had just transpired mere minutes ago.

 _Did you watch the one-hour video? In order for anyone to take the driver's test, they must present a certificate proving you've watched the video. Here, this should help._ Disappointing… I didn't even know of this video until the lady at the front desk told me and IF. How annoying… urrk! I just… need time to think.

Hmm… I'll just play on my laptop until I calm down. I see an outlet, let me just… there we go. Plugged the charger in, now then... my Dell laptop is now on and with a Skyrim wallpaper as the background. Very nice indeed. Time for some fun.

I grab my headphones and plug them into the correct slot on the laptop and begin watching a video called Dragon Ball Heroes, something I enjoy listening to, and watch as Bardock is freed from Mira's control and ascends to Super Saiyan 3. Now that I think about it, didn't that happen in…? Ah, that it did. Onto another video…

I begin watching several videos in .vlc which I really don't like due to, reasons. I prefer Windows Media Player but it can't run on this laptop with Windows XP. That's fine since I'm never going to upgrade it… to another video I go!

 _30 Minutes later..._

"Uhh… is he alright in there? I haven't heard anything from him." Nepgear commented when she was still gaming and took a good look at her. Neptune looked completely calm and composed but Nepgear knew better since they still barely know Thomas.

"Nepgear, it's only been 30 minutes. You can't expect someone to calm down after a short period of time." IF retorted, looking at her phone just across from Nepgear while simultaneously throwing looks at Neptune. Neptune didn't bother looking up, too distracted by her game.

"I know, but still… what more can I do…?" A concerned Nepgear said, finding it difficult to worry about someone while also playing a two player game with her sister who seemed to care more about the game than anything else. "Nepgear, it'll be alright! Give the man some space."

"Your right Neptune. I want to play games but..." Nepgear began to explain why she couldn't play but her sister merely placed a finger on Nepgear's lips. "Nuh-uh, Nep Jr. Don't go trying to explain too much! Come on, let's play!"

"..." Nepgear was speechless yet again, disappointed at her inability to help someone she barely knows but reluctantly decided to play with Neptune. They played another round but Nepgear was utterly defeated, due to being unable to out damage Neptune.

Meanwhile, back in the shared room, I was happily playing my music with the headphones on so as to not disturb anyone else. Watching these scenes over and over and over again… it's something I've been doing for many years, mainly because I find it interesting. I must say, I don't mind how slow this laptop of mine is but I much prefer my computer.

Now that I think about it, I miss having my computer with the games it has, videos and many more awesome stuff that makes me wanna go back home but I have no idea how to do such a thing. Hmm… this paper… well, I should probably watch that one-hour video which would require me to access the Internet.

Huh… will you look at that? I'm calmed down after a rather short period of time, very nice. I should probably grab something to eat… I'll just turn my laptop off. I turn to leave, shutting the lights off, closing the door and making my way down the hallway toward the kitchen where the others notice me.

"Um, Thomas… are you feeling better?" Nepgear asks me from the couch, playing games with Neptune while I grabbed a soda from the fridge. "Well, yes. I'm feeling alright."

"That's good to hear. Now come on, join in! There's room for one more!" Neptune signals for me to join in but I shake my head in disapproval, walking past Nepgear who just got up to grab a drink as well. "I have to watch the one-hour video. Sorry."

"Bleh, your no fun. Hehe, just kidding! It's fine, I'll just play all by my lonesome self." I feel that last comment was directed at Noire who isn't here but eh, what do I know? Time to watch this very important video…

 _One hour later._

Well, that was exhausting… having to watch an hour long video about driver safety is annoying but it is important and a requirement. Let me see, I need to print this… ah, there's a printer in the corner. I should check with Neptune about this, or Nepgear. I don't know.

"Hey uh, Nepgear? Which printer do I pick?" Vaguely I asked Nepgear who was heading toward her room, the girl understanding what I meant and points at the printer shown on the screen. Only one huh? Makes it easier for me to use… and there. Ah, my certificate… speaking of which, it would probably be a good idea for me to reschedule my driver's test.

"You're going to reschedule your driver's test, huh? Which day, month and time? I want to write it in my phone so we won't forget." IF asks from the doorway as I head to the DMV website and schedule my driving test for… yes, this should work.

"Yes. January 23rd, 2018 at 10:20 am."

 **Author's Note.**

Most interesting this chapter is. I feel it's a bit on the rushed side but that's just my personal opinion. So, what did you think? Amazing? All up to you. And sorry for the short chapter, disappointing I know.

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed this but the plot does seem a bit… slow. In my previous stories, I didn't focus a lot on character development. I aim to correct that.

Since not many cared about the poll, I have elected to close it early. It's all good! These things happen. Whichever -dere I choose will be announced in the beginning of chapter 8. That is all. Signing off.

Continue? (Y/N)


	8. Chapter 8 Explanations and things

Announcement: Before anything, I shall announce which -dere I will be using for my future OC. Sabria, the future OC, will be a kuudere since we already have 2 tsunderes, Noire and Uni and a yandere seems… volatile to this story. That is all.

* * *

"Alright then. January 23rd… 10:20 AM. I've added it to the calendar in my phone." IF says after typing very fast on her phone which is pink in color. Good thing my phone case is purple, just the color I wanted. With that being said, I'm getting awfully hungry… and it's roughly 4pm. This is when I would normally shower but now, I can't.

"Thomas. Earlier, you mentioned you came from a different dimension, correct?" Histoire interrupts my thoughts as she looms over to me, eyeing me all over for a bit, making me feel awkward but I chose to only say "That's right."

"Could you explain to me what happened in as much detail as possible?" Wait, why is Histoire asking me… oh, that's right. I was teleported into Lastation, not Planeptune. I get it. It would be a good idea to tell her now since I might forget later. "Understood."

I proceed to explain to those gathered what happened, with someone rendering me unconscious from behind and a mysterious voice could be heard from above. Beyond what I told them, this is all I can remember.

"Hmm… a dimension separate from our own and the other dimension, also known as the Ultradimension. It seems a bit, far-fetched but not completely." I listen to IF ponder about what just happened with me. From the looks of it, at least from my point of view, she seems to be deep in thought.

"It has to be true. After all, where else would all the players be, playin our games?" Neptune breaks the 4th wall, as per the usual. It does seem to be a recurring joke in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. Well, in any case, I'm stuck here in this dimension with not much else to do, no home to return to…

"Nep… breaking the 4th wall, again. I guess she does have a point though. But who could have brought Thomas here?" IF was deep in thought, again. Histoire was also in deep thought, apparently thinking of who could have brought me over to this dimension. Hmm… now that I think about it, this sort of thing has happened in the Neptunia games what, two times?

First, let me think of the main antagonists of Neptunia… well, there was only one recurring villain who seemed to absolutely hate the CPUs. What was her name…? It's on the tip of my tongue, I just need to think… I got it! It must be… "Arfoire!"

Surprisingly, me, Histoire and IF shouted Arfoire's name at the exact same time. There's really no other explanation for this since this is simply what Arfoire is. "It has to be her… that person is always causing trouble for us. But yet, I'm not sure she ever displayed the ability to alter dimensions."

"I am in agreement with IF. Arfoire lacks the ability to meddle with other dimensions. This can only mean she has a hidden ally with her. But who could it be? Hmm…" Histoire behind to ponder on this matter while I stare off into space, as Nepgear joins in. Who could this ally of Arfoire be? And why would Arfoire choose to transport me of all people into this dimension?

"Careful Histoire. You don't want to work yourself too hard. Remember what happened last time?" IF warns Histoire by disrupting her thoughts, startling her a bit but she regained her composure within mere moment's. "Your right IF. Until we unveil who this mysteriously ally is… Thomas, you may remain in the Nep Tower since you have nowhere else to go. I'll need to introduce you to Blanc and Vert soon, see what they have to say about the matter.

"Thank you Histoire. But, uh… shouldn't I get my own room?" I speak up after Histoire got my attention which caused Neptune to look completely dumbfounded and surprised at my last comment. "Ohh, dangit. I forgot, we do have an extra room for you to rest in. Silly me!"

"Excellent. Neptune, would you please direct me to said room?" Upon hearing this, Neptune's face is completely overtaken by glee and joy, immediately grabbing my hand and dragging me into the hallway to where the vacant room is. It's directly next to Nepgear and Neptune's room, well… by roughly 2 doors on the right. "Aaand, here it is! Your very own room! Want me to grab your stuff or do you want to do the honors?"

"I'll do it myself, thanks for the offer though." I head towards Nepgear and Neptune's room and quickly gather my things together before leaving the room and heading to the new vacant room. Upon turning the lights on, only a bed fit for a king and a desk closest to the doorway was in this room as well as a single wooden chair. I place my stuff on the chair and began emptying it of its contents.

"That should be everything…" Within my backpack was only a few things. My laptop, the charger, my wallet and a Monster energy drink which I may or may not have bought a few hours ago. Now all I need is a mini fridge… too bad there isn't one here. Guess I'll place it in the fridge in the kitchen. "Going to place that in the fridge huh? Allow me to do it for you!"

"Uh, actually… I was going to drink it now." I say, Neptune feeling disappointed but shrugged her shoulders and went back to the living room to resume playing her games. Speaking of which… that Xbox 360 is mine but I did let my brothers play games on it… eh, this isn't my home so I don't make the rules. I'll let her use my Xbox.

"Say Thomas, you don't have any other clothes to wear. Do you want to go shopping sometime tomorrow? It's going to be nice out tomorrow." IF says, looking at her phone the entire time she spoke to me. Now that she mentions it, I don't have anything else to wear, save for my jacket. Now this sounds like a great idea! "Yes please, I'd like that. But Histoire said I was to meet with-"

"I know that! Sorry. *Ahem*. We could go shopping after you have properly met with Blanc and Vert." So this is what IF meant… I misunderstood her. This tends to happen quite a bit… it's all good! Yes, this should work. "Ah, I understand. My apologies. Yes, tomorrow will definitely work."

"Shopping? Can I join in?" Nepgear pops her head in from the hallway, having heard about plans to go shopping tomorrow. Now that sounds like an excellent idea but it's not really up to me though. "Sure Nepgear, you can join in. Thomas, are you cool with this?"

"Yes, I am." I respond, Nepgear happily heading back to hers and Neptune's room while I remain within my own room. She must really enjoy this sort of thing… hehe. As I open my drink and begin to well, drink it, I head over to my phone and open an app which I won't mention since it belongs to an anime with a ton of haters.

"..." I silently play the app, taking down enemies and collecting my daily rewards while also checking the time which reads 8:50 pm. Hmm… 'tis a bit late but I usually go to bed well, later. Usually, I'd goof around on my PC until 10:30 then I go to bed but I don't have that luxury. Maybe I should go check what Neptune's doing.

I placed the can of Monster on the wooden desk and made my way to the living room, to see if the Xbox was available. To my surprise, Neptune was playing on her own console on her own TV just a few feet away from the main TV to the right. "Oh, hey Thomas! Just in time. Do you want to play a few games with me? I have plenty of 2 player games."

"Oh, uh… I was actually going to hop on my Xbox 360…" I say, heading towards the Xbox 360 and began to play Skyrim on it after logging into my profile which remembers my password but Neptune stood in front of the TV. "Come on! Let's play a few games together!"

"It's roughly 9pm Neptune… I was just going to game for an hour and go to bed…" Even though I said this, Neptune refused to move out of the way… I feel like I'm being incredibly rude right now. A friend wanting to play with me but I turn them down… no, I won't do this. I mustn't play alone, not like this, not when I'm at a friend's house, er, dimension.

"I'm sorry Neptune. Maybe we could play on the Xbox 360? I do have Dragonball Raging Blast 2 which does support 2 players. Shall we?" Neptune looked very happy and grabbed the 2nd controller which was sitting near the TV and I went to go grab the disk, but…

"Oh, dangit. That game is back in my dimension…" Feeling disappointed, Neptune proceeded to resume her gaming, alone but I felt guilty about this. Going over to her, I tapped Neptune on the shoulder and we agreed upon playing a game together.

The end.

Continue? (Y/N)


	9. Chapter 9 A Visit to Lowee

Well that was fun… me and Neptune had played one of the Serious Sam games which I had intended to play back at home but I never got the chance to do so. Still, it was pretty fun, owning numerous newbie monsters, playing with her was simply, exquisite.

But now, it's roughly 8:40 in the morning which is when I would normally wake up at. Most fun that game was… Nepgear decided to take her sister's place after 4 games and we still managed to survive a few rounds. Nepgear seems to be just as good at gaming as her sister is. Or Neptune's better. I don't know, I'm just guessing here.

As I'm rubbing my eyes, I place my glasses on and head towards the kitchen, after the restroom of course but we can't get into _that_. Anyways, I decided to have some Golden Grahams, my favorite cereal to have and I notice someone else come from the hallway. "Umm… oh! Good morning Thomas!"

"Ah, morning Nepgear…" So it is Nepgear huh? Why you look at that… I'm adjusting more and more to this world with each passing day. Most amazing this is… to the table I go since I have my cereal in my bowl. I make it a habit to place the bowl of cereal on the table before I add the milk so as to not make a mess of things.

I notice Nepgear have some other cereal and goes to the table after she poured her milk. "Um… mind if I join you?" Is it just my imagination or is Nepgear feeling a bit… nervous? That's my guess but heck, I wouldn't mind her joining me.

"Sure." I say, Nepgear taking a seat next to me and enjoying her meal. I would bring my breakfast to my room but this isn't my room and uh… Compa told me that we can't bring food to our rooms so I won't. Obeying the rules is what I do best! Or something. Hehe, the living room is nice and clean, same as my own. Can't say anything about Nepgear and Neptune's room since I only slept in it for a few days.

Hmm… today is the 22nd of December huh? Let me see, there was a movie I wanted to see… ah, that's right! I wanted to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I wonder if it's showing in this dimension. Guess I'll check on that… oh! How surprising! It is showing in a theater in this area. Nice! I wonder if someone wants to see that movie with me…

"Oh? You want to see The Last Jedi as well? We should totally see it together!" Nepgear says, looking over my shoulder toward my phone with such a happy look on her face. She gets her own phone out and begins typing super fast. Incredible. "How does 12pm sound?"

"12 Is good. But can we please go with standard? If we go with IMAX or 3D, then it'll cause my eyes to hurt. A lot." I reply back to Nepgear who still looks happy and finishes playing with her phone as well as finishing her breakfast. I should finish mine as well so I can get back to watching videos on my laptop.

After roughly 2-3 minutes, I finish my breakfast and go to clean it before heading back to my room and closing the door behind me. Let me see… upon booting up my laptop, I go to watch several scenes of the anime Bleach when Ichigo is fighting against Captain Byakuya Kuchiki but his inner hollow takes over towards the end.

After going through numerous videos still stored on my laptop, 2 hours have past which means only one thing. Lunch time! I go to the kitchen and heat up some chicken pot pie which Compa and IF bought the other day and set the cook time for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. I would go for just 3 minutes but the chicken, tends to not heat up all the way.

*BEEP*

And there goes the microwave. I grab the oven mittens and places the chicken pot pie which rested on a small plate and closed the microwave. After that, I moved my lunch to the table, went back to place the oven mittens back in the drawer and went to eat my lunch in peace.

10 Minutes pass as I finish eating my lunch and go to dump the remnants of the chicken pot pie in the trash can and proceed to wash the place. Done with that, I place the plate and the fork into the dishwasher and went to grab a soda, then I went back to my room. Wait, no… I'm seeing a movie so I'll go put it back.

I should hurry up and get dressed, just need to put my shoes and socks on…. Eh, I'll wear the socks from yesterday, not that I have any other socks to wear. And I'll wear my jacket, can't go anywhere without it. Save for the summer, too hot.

"Thomas, are you ready? It's time to go!" Will you look at the time? It's roughly 11:40 am. How did this happen so fast? Oh well, off we go.

2 Hours later.

"That was amazing! I really loved this movie!" I say with a smile overtaking my face. I absolutely loved this film! So spectacular. No spoilers, I'll just mention that I gave it a 12/10. So amazing! Hehe, moving on.

After a while, me and Nepgear return to the Nep tower where Neptune and the others await us. "Ah, welcome back Nepgear and Thomas. Are you ready to head to Lowee with Neptune?"

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go." Me, Nepgear and Neptune head out towards Lowee so that I may meet the CPU of Lowee, Blanc and the candidates, Rom and Ram. This might take a while so I'll be listening to my music.

"And that's how the movie went. I loved it! But I think Thomas loved it even more." Nepgear explains the entirety of the movie to her older sister who apparently saw it the day before. Go figure. "Yeah, the movie was amazing. Especially with… oops. Can't say that, else I might spoil it for the people reading this here fanfic!"

There she goes again, breaking the 4th wall. Heh, hilarious… I wonder when time will skip again… it is a possibility one must consider. 2 Is enough, at least for me so I guess it'll drag on for a while.

"We're here!" And I retract my previous statement. How did we arrive in Lowee in such a short period of time?! Oh well, this should be fun. At, the cold… my favorite. Personally, I prefer the cold over the heat. It's just more… tolerable than having to withstand 100 degree weather.

"Let me see… the home of Blanc, Rom and Ram should be close… oh! There it is!" Nepgear says, pointing to a rather large building in the distance. I pull my hood up when the wind kicks in, keeping my ginger hair safe from the cold.

After a short while, we finally arrive at the home. Man, it looks massive… and all this space! No wonder the siblings enjoy it here. It truly is amazing… hmm? I see two people in the distance. Wait, are they…?

"Rom look, it's Nepgear and Neptune! Heya! And… who's this?" Ram notices us from a distance and a total stranger with the two. That would be me, of course, hehe. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Thomas."

"What kind of name is Thomas?! Whatever, it's great to meet you and all but I'm in the middle of a dare with Rom." Dare? Oh… I get where this is going. There's a pretty tall pole sitting next to them with a sign on the top. It's blank. Is it new? Someone's probably going to stick they're tongue onto it. That person isn't me.

"But I don't wanna... " Rom refuses to stick her tongue to the metal pole, no big surprise there. I really don't want to see this so I'm just going to… "Wait, Neptune's here, isn't she? Hmm.. hehe."

"Ram? What's with that...look…?" Suddenly, Ram drags her sister over to a tree, away from me, Nepgear and Neptune, talking about something. The two quickly return to the three of us and fixate they're gazes upon Neptune.

"Say Neptune, have you ever heard of that thing about sticking your tongue on a frozen piece of metal?" Ram begins this, asking Neptune who, as you would expect is rather surprised by this. Judging from that, she hasn't heard of it before. Oh boy. "No, what do you mean?"

"Well Neptune, they say if you touch your tongue on a frozen piece of metal it'll stick." Ram says once more, Neptune feeling slightly intimidated by this but alas, there is little she can do. "What?"

"Yes, Neptune, will it stick? Yes or no?" Ram continues goading Neptune into doing such a thing. Wait, this scenario seems very… familiar to me. I think it was a movie I watched alone where an otherworldly demon lord was… oh. Now I remember what this scene is a reenactment of!

"No, of course that's nonsense. The answer is no it wouldn't stick." Neptune finally answers, Ram chuckling at Neptune's words while I had my back turned towards them. Simply warning her wouldn't help me. Dangit, there's nothing I can do to change this. "What about putting your money where your mouth is, Neptune?"

"What do you mean?" While Neptune is being goaded, Rom notices my back turned and heads to where I am while Ram shakes the pole with one hand. "Well, we do have a frozen pole here. Why not give it a try?"

"What you mean stick my tongue onto this metal pole here?" When I begin to place my earbuds back on, Rom taps me on the shoulder from behind, smiling at me and sitting down next to me on the right. " Who would have thought the CPU of Planeptune was really just a big wimp?!"

"Come on Ram! I'm not a-" Neptune is interrupted by Ram constantly goading her by jumping around her, saying a great many things about her and ends with "No need to use your HDD form Neptune. If you think your tongue won't stick, then go ahead and show us!"

"Ugh, alright. If only to prove to you that your wrong. Here." Neptune sticks her tongue out but it doesn't touch the metal pole, merely 2-3 inches away from the sign. Ram decides to finish goading the CPU of Planeptune with this. "Well? Go on Neptune."

"I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" Finally fed up with all these insults, Neptune slowly sticks her tongue out and finally touches the end of the sign which was blue in color. "See? Now what did I tell ya?! My tongue won't… uh, hey!"

Just when Neptune attempted to walk away, her tongue was frozen in place and attempted to back up, but to no avail. Grabbing the frozen pole with both hands, she begins yanking the pole back and forth to free her tongue but to no avail.

"Hmm? What's all the commotion?" A voice is heard from the building, a single figure was walking towards us. When she reached a certain point, she heard ice slowly crack beneath her and traced it to Neptune using both hands and feet to free her tongue but to no avail.

"Blanc… sorry for the noise.." Rom apologizes in her sisters place as Blanc is surprised to see Neptune stuck her tongue to a frozen metal pole. Blanc knew her tongue would stick but I'm not sure where she gets this information from. "Rom… it's fine. Oh? I haven't met you yet. I'm Blanc, CPU of Lowee."

"Hmm? Did Histoire tell you? In any case, my name's Thomas." I properly introduce myself to Blanc who gives me a signal to follow her while Neptune drops to the ground after a failed attempt at freeing her tongue. "Hey! What about me guys? I need help! Come on!"

Neptune yanks the pole back and forth once more until the ice beneath her breaks under the preasure and she begins to float away, her tongue still stuck to the metal pole. "This wasn't in the script!"

Elsewhere, two figures were watching from afar via an orb of sorts.

* * *

"So, he's finally met with another accursed CPU?! Haha! Hahaha! It's almost time!" An old hag shouted to the ceiling, apparently she was going crazy or something.

"This plan of yours had better work! The ones were brought were.." The small figure turns to a bunch of corpses a few feet away from her. Whatever was going on here?

"Pipe down! This plan will work! Obviously, normal humans are… inadequate. But that boy should work. We simply wait for it to work…" The old hag dons a sinister smile as she stares into the orb.

Chapter concluded.

Continue? (Y/N)


	10. Chapter 10 Strange happenings

"Thomas huh? That's an interesting name you have there." Blanc, the CPU of Lowee, commented on my name as she circled around me a few times, taking notice of my current attire. I was wearing my leather jacket, jeans, shoes and some gloves.

"Neptune! Oh dear… I'm going to go rescue her!" With that. Nepgear activates her HDD form and flies toward where Neptune had drifted away to, leaving me, Rom, Ram and Blanc behind. "I am a bit annoyed at all this noise… just what the hell happened?!"

"Well… Ram goaded Neptune into sticking her tongue on a metal pole and ended up drifting away. Sorry…" I explain and apologize, a hint of anger not being seen on Blanc's face, only that of annoyance. I was under the impression she was more prone to anger. She has to be! After all, that's what defines her character.

"I see… idiot. She should have known her tongue would stick! Anyways, why don't you two come inside? Rom's already inside." Blanc gestures me and Ram to enter the building which we do. Ram goes to do her own thing with Rom while I still follow after Blanc who leads me to a room. "Please, have a seat. Do you drink tea?"

"No, thank you. I'm Mormon so I can't drink tea, same with coffee." I explain to Blanc who immediately pours some water in a mug and hands the said mug to me. Strange, this mug seems very familiar to me... It's a Star Wars mug. On one side, it has a picture of Yoda while the other side is that of Darth Vader with numerous words forming they're heads.

"This mug… it looks exactly as the mug I owned back at home. Same...everything…." I say, eying the small, white mug all over while Blanc watched from a distance. Yes, this is it! This is the mug I own back home! But how did it end up in a different dimension? Is that even possible? "So it is yours? Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's all good! I just find it strange that my mug is in this dimension…" I say with a confused look, having gouged down the water just before I examined the mug itself. Yup, this is most definitely mine. I don't normally use this mug since I prefer to keep it clean but I guess it's fine now. "So what Histoire is true. You are from a different dimension. In that case, you are free to stay here."

"Stay here? I assume your referring to this dimension, correct?" I decided to ask after Blanc poured some more water for me, chugging the water down in one sitting since there wasn't much water in my mug. "Correct. Although. I'd rather if you not hang around my home. I'm currently working on some stories of mine."

"I understand. I should be leaving but before I do that… where did you find my mug?" I decidedly ask Blanc who finishes reading a book she was reading when we were talking, putting the book down and turned her gaze toward me. "Hmm… I'm not sure. I just happened to find it over there."

"Thanks." I say, heading to a bookcase where Blanc say she found my mug at. Strange… why would it appear in here of all places?! And who would be doing this sort of thing? I should probably tell Histoire about this but before I can do that, I must travel to Leanbox. "By the way, Histoire warned me that you would be heading to Leanbox. That's why I'm having Rom and Ram here escort you to Leanbox."

"Ah… they are inseparable…" I say the last bit to myself and bid farewell to Blanc as me, Rom and Ram make our way to the last nation of Leanbox where I will finally meet Vert. I wonder what her first impression of me will be. Oh and I'd better hold onto my mug, don't want it getting damaged or downright destroyed.

"Let's go! Come on!" Ram grabs my jacket, hustling me outside while Rom joins us, leaving Blanc alone in the room and building, her room being filled with various books and clothing. Blanc walks to the window and watches us depart, quickly turning her attention away.

"Hmm… will they be ok? Normally, I would escort them places but ever since they unlocked they're HDD forms, they've been able to go as they please without any problems. That's good and all but I'm still concerned about them. Ever since, hmm…? What's this?" Blanc concludes, noticing a newspaper on the desk she uses for writing her stories or for working. When she goes to pick it up and skims through the various articles, she notices something particularly… disturbing.

"Oh no! I have to warn them! But they've already left. I should go tell Histoire." Blanc says, quickly activating her HDD form and dashes out the building, making her way toward Planeptune.

Meanwhile, me, Rom and Ram are making our way toward Leanbox, a nation I have yet to uncover.

* * *

We are currently heading towards Leanbox but Rom and Ram are flying whilst grabbing hold of me since I can't fly. And apparently, this is the only method to travel to Leanbox. Ah, now I'm starting to remember… it's surrounded by an ocean, is it not? That would explain it. Anyways, this isn't so bad… its nice weather, cool, not a lot of wind.

"We're… almost there, Thomas. Just hang in there…" Rom interrupts the silence, I look forward while holding onto my glasses so they won't fall off and I notice an island in the distance. This has to be Leanbox… I'm glad I was given the chance to enter the Hyperdimension since it is my 2nd favorite anime I've seen. And I'm just referring to the anime adaptation.

"Wow… amazing. So this is Leanbox up close... " I say as the twin candidates of Lowee set down onto the small island, being careful not to drop me. When the two deactivated they're HDD forms, they led me into the area where we would find the CPU, Vert at. Probably playing video games.

We traverse the area on foot, running around while I followed the two who seem to be… cheerful and happy. Wow… I don't think I've ever met anyone as cheerful as these two, guiding me to the building where Vert resides in. Hmm… now that I think about it, I think there is someone who might fit this description but I can't think of a name.

"Is something… wrong, Thomas…?" Rom slowly but shyly asks me, staying behind while Ram was way ahead of us, taking the lead. Seeing as though I'm the follower, it's what I'm used to. Is something wrong? Not that I'm aware of, no. "I'm fine, Rom."

Within a short amount of time, we came upon the Basilicom of Leanbox, a bit smaller than expected but it's still amazing to be in. When the three of us enter, we are immediately stopped by a girl with long green hair and wore… armor? Is that armor? I honestly can't tell. "Ah, it's you. My darling Vert has been expecting you, Thomas. Right this way please."

"Ok…" I awkwardly say as the oracle of Leanbox, Chika, leads me, Rom and Ram to the room where Vert is in. Time to meet the last CPU, Vert. This should be interesting but the same as before, I'm not as excited as I should be.

"My darling Vert is just in this room. If you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave." With that, Chika went on her way back to her station. It's a good thing I played through Rebirth: 2 a few times, just so I could witness awesome characters and to be in a happy mood? I forget the other reasons for playing these games. Welp, no time for dawdling, time to… hmm?

"I'll be right there! Urrrgh! There are more monsters?! Oh no! We may not make it!" Opening the door, I see an amazing PC coupled with roughly 6 monitors? And a pretty large desk. Ah, this… I recognize this particular scene from episode 3 of the Animation when the other CPUs, candidates and humans came to visit Vert, something about a party.

 _She must be Vert…._ I say to myself, watching the game she's playing with a gaming controller in hand and wearing headphones with a mic attached. She's really into it; maybe it isn't a good idea to disrupt her gaming. I should just, leave… "Vert! We brought Thomas here with us!"

"Hmm? Oh, hi Rom, Ram and… you must be Thomas. Pardon me. Sorry, I have guests. Be right back in a few.." Vert says to the people she's playing with and takes her headphones off, taking a few steps towards me. She begins eyeing me all over… am I really that interesting? I'm just a man… oh right, there aren't any men in this series. I get it.

"You look a lot less… muscular than what I imagined. I guess that's fine, you still look amazing! Sorry, I've never met a man up close before. Please, right this way. You must be hungry from such a treacherous journey." Vert says, grabbing my hand and taking me throughout the building until we come across a living room of sorts. She instructs me, Rom and Ram to take our seats, preferably together and leaves the room. "Does she always act this way?"

"No really, no. I'm not sure what she sees in a scrubby man like you…." Ram whispers to me but I ignore her comment, seeing as though it takes a lot to really… insult me. A few times online, some people have told me to kill myself just because of the tastes in anime I have, particularly regarding Fairy Tail, Sword Art Online and other anime. So what? I gave those anime a 10/10 because I absolutely love them!

But I guess it doesn't really matter since those people were blocked on MyAnimeList for trying to put me down with they failed at. Miserably. I won't say I'm immune to insults since it's not possible but I can downright ignore them, acting as though nothing had ever happened. For some strange reason, these insults… don't really bother me all that much. "Sorry for the wait, the food is here."

"Yay, awesome! Thank's Vert!" Ram thanks Vert and starts digging in while I eat my food slowly. Of course, I thanked Vert before I began eating. Strange… I'm getting the strangest urge that someone's watching me. Oh… Vert is the one watching me. I wonder what's so interesting about my eating…. Oh well, I'll ignore it.

"Thomas… can I have some… steak, please?" Rom decided to ask me moment's after she began eating… or has minutes passed already? That it has, according to the clock on the wall. She's asking for more huh? But of course, I'll get her more. "Sure. Let me pass some over. Could you bring your plate closer please?"

"Ok…" Slowly, Rom moved her plate toward where the steak was and placed one on her plate using my fork I did. She returned her place and resumed her eating while I did the same. Why does Vert… oh, she stopped. That's a relief. I should probably finish up and tell her about what's going on here. But I'm not one to rush things either.

After a few more minutes of eating, I finished my meal and saw a woman come in to collect the plates. Is there no sink to rinse it in or does Vert have people to do it for her? Interesting… that's certainly something you don't see everyday. "Now that everyone's finished.. Thomas, would you come here please?"

"Um, sure." I follow after Vert who directs me to her room, closing the door behind us. When she turns the light on, I am surprised to see Christmas presents. Where did these come from? No way… all these tags attached to the presents have my names on them. Not only that, these presents are from my dad. But how?! "These presents were kindly delivered here by Noire and Uni from Lastation, something about finding these presents in Noir's room."

"That's… the same as my mug. Strange." I say, going over to open a present and found a brand new hoodie with a small logo on the front and a big logo on the back, both colored teal. But on the back, below the logo was the word "Fairy Tail" in English and Japanese. When I open the rest of the presents, I find exactly what I wanted for Christmas.

"Oh my, you're an anime fan as well? Hehe. I'm going to start taking photos now." Vert says, grabbing a camera and starts taking many photos of me holding what I got for Christmas. New black earbuds for my PC, Fairy Tail volume 62, Masamune-kun's Revenge volume 1, a new Fairy Tail hoodie, a large Steins;Gate t-shirt with "Future Gadget Labs" printed on the front, School Live dvd, The Future Diary complete series + the OVA and the Star Wars: The Old Republic Revan book. Am I missing something here?

"How did it end up here…? In a completely different dimension…?" I question what had just happened as Vert finishes taking pictures and hands me a trash bag. I proceed to throw the paper away while keeping a box since I could use more to stash some of my stuff in. This is really weird.. Beyond weird. Why did this happen? "Thomas? I know you want to enjoy your presents but there's something I need to show you.

"Ok… lead on." Vert takes my hand and leads me down the hallway, noticing numerous rooms along the way. We then come across a particular room which seems… off. The door looks different than all the other doors in that it doesn't appear to have a lock on it. Wait, could this be…?

I reach over to touch the doorknob and turned it, opening the door. What I saw was even more surprising than anything else I've witnessed…

* * *

Elsewhere, Blanc is flying toward Planeptune, carrying the newspaper she read earlier, declaring this to be of utmost importance.

Continue? (Y/N)


	11. Chapter 11 Mystery and Realization

"..." I turned the doorknob and opened the door, revealing something which I find to be very surprising. Within this room was my bed with Fairy Tail bedding, a Skyrim poster hung above my bed, next to a window which appeared to have just been repaired as well as many others.

Next to the window on the right was a Fairy Tail wall scroll but it was missing the bottom hanger because it arrived unattached which I still find unusual. Not only that but my own PC with a Skyrim mousepad, a gaming keyboard, an AOC monitor and my very own mini fridge was closest to the window but was against a different wall just across from my bed. Above my computer was none other than a bunch of Skyrim posters and two mini maps of only the major and minor holds.

There was also my laundry basket, dresser and a coffee table (even though I don't drink it) with a bunch of wall scrolls adorned on the wall above the table. Then there's my closet which doesn't have a door (which I removed) and a pull-up bar was on the doorway. It's exactly as I left it when I was first teleported here! But did it get here…?

"So it IS your room. It just happened one day, when I was walking past a certain room and a bright light suddenly formed. When I opened the door, your stuff just… appeared." Vert explained to me what had happened. A bright light? It sounds familiar but not by a lot. This really doesn't make any sense… it just doesn't.

"It looks so.. Organized. Oh how I could have a room this clean… oh well. I'm going to go play some games now. Have fun~" Vert then left the room and closed the door behind her… at least the people around here are respectful. I find it annoying when people leave my room but don't close the door behind them.

I should check to see if this works… I go over to my PC and turn my computer on, the blue and red lights glowing. My PC turned on in a matter of seconds and I turn my speakers on, going over to grab my blue Sony headphones. Oh yeah… the headphones are in my bag which I just so happen to have.

Digging through my headphones, I go to put them on and plugged them into my speakers. I turn the monitor on, seeing exactly as I saw before I left, a Future Diary background and many icons on the taskbar but not so many on my desktop. I go about the usual, right clicking on my Windows Explorer on the bottom.

I open from left to right Videos, Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation, Fairy Tail OST, Fairy Tail, Bleach and The Future Diary… or, so I would but I could only open the first three. The others I couldn't access since my dad's shared drive isn't here. Good thing I copied the HDN: The Animation onto my PC at some point.

Now then, there is something I'm missing on my Christmas List… logging into google drive, opening the folder and document.. Aha! I'm missing the Star Wars: The Old Republic 60-day gametime card. That game is fun, to an extent. Now to open up Facebook, logged in… opening the others. This is my usual routine.

Let's see what's going on, on Facebook… hmm? A post by a good friend of mine? Wait… it reads "President Thomas S. Monson" from 1927-2018. That's this year! Does this mean… oh no. I look to the right and sure enough, Thomas S. Monson has… passed away. No… I loved his talks! He was an awesome person!

Feeling utterly speechless on the outside, I proceed to reply to the post made by a friend of mine and proceed to investigate what people are posting in the news. Typical… countless people are bashing on President Monson with such comments I won't even bother reading. This is both infuriating and sad… why would people do this?!

What if you died and people bashed on you all over the Internet?! Would you appreciate that?! The answer is no. Treat others as they would treat you. I say may you ascend to heaven, President Monson and to anyone else who might have died recently.

Ahem! Sorry, this has angered me… I must move on from this. I'm going to check my email now… just a bunch of stuff from various websites such as RightStuf. Hmm? An email from dad?! Oh… it's just a code for the game time card I asked for. Whoa! 90 Days?! I'd better claim it now!

Heading to the SWToR website, I login and quickly use the code so no one else many claim it. Much better. Now then... Listening to opening 17 of Fairy Tail and scrolling through Amazon. Oh yeah… I've been meaning to buy a poster of a particular movie I saw last August. And here it is… within my wall scroll list, I have a Fairy Tail Dragon Cry 36x24 poster for only $9.99. I might as well buy it now.

And there… the poster has been ordered. Hopefully it'll ship and arrive very soon. Yes, I'm well aware that I'm not good with money spending. It is my money, there's no harm in buying a hunch of anime stuff. Now then, I should probably….

Ah.. Its 1:50 in the afternoon. Time to do what I usually do… I grab my cloth I use to cleanse my glasses and do so, placing my glasses back in a case that says "Harley-Davidson" on the top and well… I grab my things and head to where the shower is. But I have no idea where it is… or even where Vert is.

Huh… a sign at the top which reads "Shower", how convenient. Do you mind?!

~15-20 Minutes later…

I step out of the shower room, wearing a new t-shirt which says Disturbed on it and black colored shorts. I quickly return to my room to place my stuff where it should be and return to my PC, continuing to listen to Fairy Tail opening 17.

Speaking of Fairy Tail… it has been on my mind for roughly a week or two. Perhaps I should change my background and profile pictures… yes, this I should do. I change the background on my PC to that of a blue background with the Fairy Tail logo on the right and changed all the profile pictures (excluding Facebook) to that of Wendy Marvell.

Now that that's out of the way… and a few quick looks toward the window. No clue why I do that, I'm just random. Bacon! Obey the Beard! See? Randomness is in my nature. Eh, that's something I meant to keep secret… no matter, it's fine.

Elsewhere, Vert was playing 4 Goddesses Online 2, a sequel to the first and was assisting her teammates capture certain points within a certain area. "Yes, I'll cover you. Up! Oh poo! We just got cut off! Oh… this doesn't bode well for us."

As Vert was playing her game, she was paying no heed to the call she was receiving on her computer. Well, she tried to ignore it but it bothered her too much. "I'm sorry, I need to go. Someone is interrupting my gaming time. If you'll excuse me."

With that, Vert takes off her headphones and closes the game. Receiving yet another call, Vert answers said call, surprised to hear from a particular someone. "Ah Vert, you finally picked up. I apologize if I'm interrupting your gaming time but there's something of utmost importance I must discuss with you."

"I take it this is important? I'm listening." Vert says, ready to listen to what Histoire has to say. "Very well. I just received a particularly disturbing newspaper from Blanc who is her with us. This is what the article Blanc found is."

"Uh! No way… this is… horrific! When did this happen?!" Vert grew more serious as she saw a picture of a person, a girl at that, lying near an alleyway, in a pool of her own blood. The CPU of Leanbox was utterly shocked buy such a thing that she accidentally knocked her mug off her desk. Nothing spilled out but it did break.

"It occurred in my own nation,. Lastation! The time reads 7 am, meaning no one should have been awake at that time. Who could have possibly done this?! Whoever did this, I swear I'll make them pay!" Noire angrily gripped her right hand tight into a fist, having entered just when Histoire was to explain what just occurred earlier.

"No way… oh goodness! Urrk…" Vert was utterly disgusted by what she just heard and witnessed via newspaper, the person shown was bloodied, most of her face was… distorted. "I'm sorry, I need to go. Thomas needs to know about this…"

Elsewhere in an unknown location…

* * *

"Hehehe, seems my plan worked! This should be fun…" A strange creature floated on a book looked through an orb as the citizens of Lastation remain indoors after what just happened early that morning.

"Hmph. Your plan?! It was MY plan! This took a mere five days of planning! If it wasn't for me, no one would have willingly volunteered to become our test subjects!" Arfoire retorted, interrupting the strange beings thoughts and words. The poor witch was chuckling after looking into a room lacking a door, seeing several girls' tied up and gagged. "Besides, it's not as though we're running out of people to use. We have plenty to spare!"

"Yeah, yeah… strange how every person who put this on, ended up dying as a result. Such a bloody mess this is." The creature known as Croire said with a sinister smile, staring into the orb at someone of great importance.

Authors note.

That concludes yet another chapter. I'm sorry, I don't have much to say. Until next time.

Continue? (Y/N)


	12. Chapter 12 Chaos

Hmm… listening to Fairy Tail is awesome but at times, I tend to listen to other music. Such as Disturbed or Falling in Reverse. Both bands are equally amazing, at least they are in my eyes. Dinner. And bombs. Random, I know… such is the way of life I guess.

Let's see… I think I'll go check how much cash I have on my bank account. Hmm… ah, $62 huh? Time to order more anime stuff! On my wishlist on Amazon, I have a particular manga here which I've been meaning to order for a while. Such a great idea to order it now… but from which seller? I'm always skeptical of which seller I should choose.

I remember sometime last year I ordered Fairy Tail: ZERO from ******* on Amazon but the 1st package never arrived. After consulting them about this, they went ahead and sent me a new one, free of charge! Now how awesome is that?! As for the *, I'd much rather if I not mention a name here, something I learned in high school.

Anyways, guess I should order this… package. Woah! I cannot believe my eyes right now! Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry is available for pre-order! Ah yeah! I loved watching it at the theaters, back in August? Last year. Now then, I'll go ahead and order the dvd instead of the combo. And, done. That should do, now what should I do now?

Wait… I'm hearing very loud footsteps. Who could it… be…? "Thomas? Thomas! This is an emergency!" Vert barged into my room which I don't appreciate it but I'll let it slide, the poor CPU taking a seat on my bed. Why is she panting? I thought… nah, nevermind. "What's the matter, Vert…?"

"*Pant* Sorry for barging in but this is of the utmost importance! A citizen in Lastation was murdered!" Spitting the news out, I paused my music and placed the new earbuds I got for Christmas on the table. A… murder?! No way! How the heck did this happen?! I… don't know what to say. To be told this in person…

"..." Vert noticed my blank expression but could see my hands shaking, not knowing what to do, kept on pondering on a course of action. What should we do?! Wait… for something such as this to occur within the Hyperdimension universe, could it be… no, I have nothing. While I was pondering about this, Vert had already left, closing the door as well.

"Hmm.." Let's consider the situation… a human was killed within the nation of Lastation. Why would a death occur mere days after I arrived in this dimension? According to my knowledge, this would mean there could be a time traveller or someone wanting your head… I'm just shooting in the dark. I can think of numerous theories but I doubt any of them are accurate.

Well, there's not much I can do now, guess I'll resume to watching more anime. I'm utterly speechless, I have no idea how I should act or what to do in this situation. I'll just… what? No. I'm on Facebook, looking at the news on the right… I see a headline which reads "Murder in Lastation". But the others.. It's not recording anything that's happening in my world, nothing.

It's just as Vert said… it really was a murder, in Lastation no doubt! But why there? Why? Oh no… this is… the face of the victim, it looks… damaged and decrepit! But that's the only place the girl was injured. I honestly have no idea what's going on here. I didn't expect this to happen in a slice and life-themed anime/game.

I…. I don't know what could have caused this! This couldn't have happened if I never arrived here. Think of this as an English class where the teacher calls your name and asks you to read a sentence in a book, being able to read it easier than the others. That's a bad analogy, I know. Still… there is little I can do right now. I'm only human, I have no powers.

In Vert's room, she looked at the newsfeed on a different website, reading through the long wall of text and analyzing the scene of the crime very carefully. "No way… a murder, in Gamindustri! Whoever did this is going to pay, dearly for this!" Vert crumpled her right hand into a fist and slammed her desk in anger.

This in turn shook the desk but not by a lot, nothing fell off the desk this time. While she began seething in anger, something wicked stood in an alleyway in one of the four nations, wearing dark blue colored cloaks. "Looks like phase 1 is complete. Next is, hehe, my personal favorite."

One of the figures carried a bag which when moved, made a sound as if numerous tools were stored inside but before it could do anything is stopped by another figure. "Not yet I said! I'm the one who's going to cause some damage!" The figure angrily yelled at the other figure who wasn't in the least bit taken aback by such words.

"Yeah yeah, I know what my job is. Just go." The other figure was already long gone, not listening to a word the shorter figure announced. As the figure loomed ever closer to the Nep Tower, the figure brought out bombs and started tossing them everywhere, wreaking havoc wherever she went.

At the top of the Nep Tower, the CPU of Planeptune, Neptune watched from above, surprisingly in her HDD form. "What the heck is going on down there?! This is my nation and yet… why is there smoke and fire?!" Neptune was growing angry by the events that were happening before her very own eyes. She quickly turned around to leave when she was stopped by Histoire.

"Neptune, I know it's your duty to protect your nation but none of this seems right. Whoever is causing this is obviously creating a trap. We can't afford to-" Neptune ignored Histoire's words and flew out of the Nep Tower, much to Histoire's annoyance.

Cries for help and screams were heard as several buildings were up in smoke, Neptune arriving just as more buildings were set ablaze. "No… who could have done this?" Neptune was absolutely disgusted by what was going on, failing to notice someone nearby.

"Neptune! I saw someone on a building! She might be the culprit!" Nepgear, Neptune's younger sister, arrived from above, having saw the culprit and urged Neptune to take chase. But her older sister wanted to help her people with whatever help they need. "Go, Neptune! I'll stay and help as much as I can!"

"Nepgear… this is my nation. These people are my responsibility, under my protection! I can't just leave them as is!" Neptune put her foot down and refused to leave her precious nation, not surprising Nepgear. "But sis, I can protect these people! I'm a CPU Candidate and your sister! Please sis, let me handle this!"

"Nepgear… alright, I give. I trust you. Where did that attacker go?" The younger of the two pointed to a set of buildings leading to the Nep Tower, quickly dashing toward the tower while her younger sister helped the citizens find shelter. Neptune was hurrying as fast as she could to catch up with the culprit who was surprisingly fast.

"Tch. She's fast. But she won't get away!" The CPU continued to catch up to the culprit who struggled to increase her speed capabilities. Finally catching up, Neptune dashed to the left and planned on delivering a powerful kick to the hip but her target wasn't met with resistance.

"Dammit, she got away!" Neptune crumpled the cloak and tossed it aside, dashing upwards to the Nep Tower and barging in through the window, ignoring the fact she broke it. "Neptune! I'm glad your back but is everything ok?"

"Yeah… Nepgear said she'd take over. She got away… the culprit behind the explosions in my nation!" Poor Neptune… she's seething with anger and yet, she doesn't know who or what to take this anger out on. "Nepgear's helping? That's a relief. Uh, Neptune… I know this is sudden but I need you to calm down and look toward the table with the tv nearby."

"Fine, ok. I don't know why I need, to... No! Anything but that!" Neptune was even more angered than before, charging towards an item, seeing it badly damaged and slammed her left fist on the ground.

We now switch back to Leanbox where I had just finished watching episode 10 of Overlord which is, awesome! The main character is very overpowered but I have nothing against this. So much awesomeness! And I just ordered 3 volumes of Sword Art Online which should arrive ever so soon.

I hear loud footsteps in the hallway again… is that who I think it is? "Thomas! Neptune wants you back in Planeptune. Let's go!" Vert grabs me by the hand and thrusts me out the door, heading toward a window. I guess she's going to fly us out, seeing as though she is in her HDD form. But what was with that look on her face?

If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looked angry. What could have I done to cause this? No, it can't be her. She just said Neptune wanted to see me so I guess I might have done something wrong. I don't remember, I was busy playing games on my computer and watching anime.

Hmm? Smoke in the distance? Was that caused by a fire or something? None of this makes sense any more, being trapped in a different world, separated from my family and my friends. I want to say it's a case of bad luck but I'm honestly enjoying being here.

All the peace and quiet I could possibly ask for, people who give me space whenever I need it… but I only want space when I need it which depends on the situation. "We're here. Go on, Neptune is waiting for you." I see… so Vert won't be joining in? I guess that's fine.

I step on the elevator, waving to Vert who looks away with an annoyed look and flies back to her respective nation. What's wrong with her? Eh, It's not my place to ask such pointless questions so I won't. Still, this is odd… for Vert to be angry, why?

Well, this is it. I'm shaking all over; I'm utterly speechless and afraid. What should I do? This feels very similar to the times where I would get in trouble at middle and high school. But I have little choice here. This is it. The elevator finally reached the top floor, the doors opened in mere seconds.

"Thomas you jerk!" I shriek at the voice bellowing in the area, turning around to see Neptune in her HDD form, carrying something in her arms. What could that be? With these glasses, I should be capable of telling what it is but I need to move closer. And jerk? Really? This is how I'm greeted? "..."

"You have some nerve showing up here, after all you did destroy this. See?!" An angered Neptune was holding what appeared to be a gaming console in her arms, battered and broken. She thinks I destroyed it?! Doesn't she know I was in Leanbox for three days?! Seriously?! "Thomas, honestly… that wasn't very nice. You should apologize."

"About what?! I was at Leanbox for the past three days! There's no possible way that I could have-" When I tried protesting my innocence, IF went and brought forth a small toy hammer, a replica of Mjolnir which I bought online. It had several dents on it but what caused it? Those were never there before. "You really are an idiot. Breaking Neptune's favorite gaming console and feigning ignorance?!"

"IF please, let me handle this. Look Thomas, you broke my prized console. No one else could have done this, I saw you destroy it!" I'm speechless now, what could I have possibly done to cause this… nonsense?! I'm beginning to lose it now. Can't they understand that it wasn't me who destroyed Neptune's console?! Urrk! "Idiots…"

"Thomas, I heard that! I'm sorry for having to do this Thomas, but…" Stopping midway, Histoire made a hand gesture with two female guards entered from behind and grabbed me from both sides. Neptune, in her grand HDD form, approached before me.

"You have a connection with the murder in Lastation. I'm sorry Thomas but as CPU of Planeptune, I'm ordering for your arrest."

Chapter concluded.

Continue? (Y/N)


	13. Chapter 13 Betrayal

No… why? Why did it have to come to this?! What could I have done to.. Kill someone?! "Guards, take him away. He'll have a trial soon but he must be placed behind bars." Neptune ordered the two guards to take me away, with my arms and legs shaking. This is beyond absurd!

There has to be a way for me to escape… I am not going to prison for this! For something I didn't even do! But I'm absolutely terrified! I don't know a darn thing about escaping from a situation such as this! An opening? Dangit, I can only think of one thing…

Right now, I feel as if there's a way to escape this place.. I know, this is my first time but what choice do I have? I fling my arms upwards, freeing myself from the two guards and dash to the elevator before it descended to the lower levels. That was fast… I'm breathing heavily now. I need to calm down.

Someone is obviously framing me, it's common in numerous anime, manga and stories. But why would someone want to frame me of all people? I'm not someone important, just a human. No, I need to focus on where I need to escape to. An alleyway would be nice… oh look, it's late in the afternoon, at least according to my phone. Once the elevator opens, I run as fast as I can.

Moment's later, the elevator doors opened and I run as fast as I can, making my way through numerous crowds along the way but I see several guards ahead, armed with swords and shields. "There he is! Capture him! Careful not to hurt him!"

Oh no! To the right I go! Wow, I'm amazed at how fast I'm running even though I haven't been exercising as much as I should. Even so, I need to find somewhere to hide but not here. Too many guards, too many people know who I am, especially Neptune. I'm not going to look back, all I can do is make for Lastation.

"Stop! Please!" One of the guards tries to cut me off from the right but I was faster, making my way past her and heading toward another alleyway. After a while I come across a forest, which I noticed a lot in the games I played. This might be a great place to hide in where the other guards will be unable to locate me.

"Hmm…" I'm not out of breath yet but even I know there are limits to how far a person ran run for. This is one of the worst days of my life… being chased by my friends, whatsmore I'm being accused of something I didn't even do! Dammit!

Punching a tree won't help me, it'll only cause more pain to me. Not that punching an object ever bothered me in the past… ugh, what should I do? My entire body is shaking in fear, that's not a good thing. I haven't felt this much fear in a long time. That's enough of a break.

Be it that it may, I need to head towards Lastation, it's the only way I can shake off the guards and quite possibly find a place to hide in. Let's do this! Running more I am, past numerous tall trees and wildlife amongst other things. It shouldn't take long for me to reach Lastation.

Back in the Nep Tower, Neptune, in her HDD form, was looking out the window, feeling a bit different from before. "He has to be the murderer, there's no other culprits. Why would he do something as devious as this?"

"Sis, I don't think Thomas would do this. None of this is making any sense, especially with the person you tried chasing." Nepgear intervened, walking towards Neptune in her pajamas, also looking out the window. "Maybe I was too hasty? In any case, I have already ordered the guards to bring him in. Perhaps it's too late for me…"

In the distance, numerous guards were searching throughout the city for Thomas while others were assessing the damage done by the figure from before. Only about ten-twelve buildings were destroyed, three badly damaged and only ten people were injured. "Whatever caused damage to my nation, I won't allow such an act to happen again!"

Neptune gripped her fist in anger. True, she does have a lazy attitude, at least in her human form but she cares deeply for her nation and its people. Compa and IF were dispatched by Neptune to search for Thomas as well, albeit not knowing where he was headed.

Elsewhere, I hastily made my way toward Lastation, moving as fast as I possibly can, maybe even faster. I couldn't hear any guards behind me, nor do I hear any around me. Did I lose them or do they not know where I'm going? No matter, I should arrive shortly and there. Only 30 minutes huh? Well that didn't take long.

Now then, I need to find Noire and tell her everything that has happened, about being framed. Wait… she's probably going to ask who framed me. Unless I tell her who, she won't believe a word I say. Dangit! I did not think that far. Now I'm going to get into more trouble!

The best course of action for me to take is to hide in an alleyway, no one ever goes there so it would be perfect for me to hide in. I quickly dash to an adjacent alleyway, panting a bit and making sure no one had seen me. I am fast but I think someone noticed me from a distance. Huh, huh, huh…. Breathe in, breathe out. I need some water, my chest hurts.

"Huh? Wait, isn't that…" I hear a very recognizable voice from nearby, footsteps beginning to close in from the right of me. What do I do? What if it's one of the guards? If so, then I need to run in the opposite direction. "Thomas?"

"...Uni?" I turn my attention to a girl wearing a black and white dress carrying groceries in her hands. Is she…? Whatever she's doing here, I need to tell her. But yet… why am I feeling so sad right now? Why do I feel this way? I begin walking toward Uni and embrace her with hug. "Hey! What the hell are you… doing…?"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…" Feeling exceedingly sad, I continue to hug Uni who dropped her groceries as a result of me hugging her but she… didn't seem to mind. She returned my hug with one of her own, confused as to what was going on. "What do you mean?! What happened?"

"I was… chased out of… Planeptune. And… now, I'm…" Dangit, I'm too sad to muster up any useful information. I'm so useless! And I'm an idiot! But, right now… hugging Uni like this… it feels, nice. Where is this familiar feeling coming from? "Calm down! Jeez, I know your exhausted! Come on, calm down! Have some water."

"Thank you, Uni. Sorry…" I say, taking a bottle of water Uni was carrying in her bag and drank it slowly I did. I was taught a few years back to drink slowly after running for a period of time. That's better… this is what I needed! Ok, calm down. If I try talking now, the same thing will happen. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Good, that's better. Take your time." Uni helped me with her words, taking a few minutes for me to calm down. After I did, I knew it was time to tell her what had transpired a half-hour ago. "Uni… I was, chased out of Planeptune. Someone was trying to…."

"There he is! Seize him!" A group of guards appeared from one side, blocking it completely. Dangit! Just when I was about to explain everything to Uni! I have to make a run for it, else I'll end up getting captured! I quickly dash in the opposite direction, dodging the many guards while Uni was left bewildered.

"The hell's going on here?! Thomas, what's going on….here….?" Uni, confused tried asking me but I was long gone, already out of this dark alleyway. Not understanding the situation, she approached one of the guards and firmly asked her "Why are you after him?!"

"Lady Uni, we are just acting under orders by Lady Noire. We are to bring the criminal known as Thomas to Planeptune." This particular comment shook Uni. She backed away in confusion, trying to asses the situation but she immediately remembered that Thomas was in Leanbox for the past three days. "No! I refuse to believe that! Sure, I barely know the guy and it's true we didn't hangout a lot… but I know he wouldn't do this!"

"Please calm down. We have orders to take him into custody. Do you know where he wh-" Irritated, Uni activated her HDD form and forcibly kicked one of the guards away, still confused but also very angry. "You jerks… why are you trying to frame him?! Urrg!"

Doing battle with the guards, Uni was able to buy more than enough time for me to escape the scene. Seeing a dark alleyway around the corner, I decided to dash right in but I ended up bumping into a figure wearing a cloak.

"Ow… the hell is wrong with….you? Oh, it's you! Come on, follow me!" The figure said, dragging me through a series of alleyways. It didn't take long for us to lose the guards around us. This person… that voice sounded very familiar. From Rebirth: 1. No, I don't think it appeared in that game.

"Seems we lost them. Why am I given the crappiest job?! Honestly, I should retaliate but they'll just kick me out…" The figure says, wearing a strange outfit which has a hood on top.. In the shape of a mouse?... Aha! Now I recognize her! She's… "Hey kid, I was ordered to bring you over here. Come on!"

The person makes a hand signal, following after her for a few feet before stopping at the darkest alleyway I've ever seen before. She began smiling and moved to the side a bit, signaling for me to remain where I am which I don't fully understand but ah, oh well. Hmm? What's that smell?

Strange gas began covering the dark alleyway from the ground. Unable to hold my breathe, I collapsed to the ground after four seconds had passed. Another figure walked in from behind, wearing a classic dark attire and a hat. "This was almost too easy. Hehe… hahaha! Let's bring him back, he'll be… useful…"

A dark portal appeared from behind with the hooded figure picking Thomas up, albeit with great effort and disappeared with the other one, the portal closing in mere moments.

Returning to Planeptune, guards were scattered about, searching for the criminal but to no avail. Neptune was in the living room in her human form, having stashed away the console which was previously destroyed. "Why Thomas…? I don't get it. None of this is making sense."

"Neptune, are you alright? Please. Talk to me." Nepgear tried asking Neptune who was sitting on the yellow couch, saddened by all that has been happening over the past few days. Why would Thomas… kill a person? We were having so much fun days ago! He couldn't have done this… but who else could have done this. Unless he was… no… could it be possible that he was..."

"Now you understand."


	14. Chapter 14 Answers and Capture

A/U: Before I begin this chapter, I feel I must apologize for how long this story must have been. I admit, it was taking forever but I needed to work on character development. That's all. Let chapter 14 begin!

* * *

"Huh? Who's there?" Neptune quickly asked, the elevator doors swung open to reveal a single figure exiting the elevator wearing a trench coat with a hood on and black pants. The figure also wore shiny black boots but the face was… per say, concealed.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is the fact you do not know the truth." The figure walked forth, standing directly in front of Neptune who was startled by this and chose to back away. The others were watching as the figure loomed around Neptune, eyeing her all over. "Why're you being weird? Cut it out, will ya?"

"Hmm… average, small. It will do. I was under the impression only adults were allowed to be CPUs. Why does a child have such a position?" Annoyed, Neptune quickly activated her HDD form in response to the figures words. "Stay your hand, I did not come here to fight. I merely came to inform you of your ignorance."

"Ignorance? What nonsense are you trying to pull here?" IF intervened, placing herself between the figure and Purple Heart. Ignoring IF, the figure walked past her and took a closer look at Neptune, noting her increase in…. A certain place. "I see. So you can increase your own power through transformation? That's helpful… slightly. But before I explain myself, the other CPUs need to hear this."

"Before you explain yourself, just who are you?" Histoire decided to speak up, the figure turning toward her and brought the hood down, with the figure being revealed as a girl. "My name is not important. As I said, the truth is more important. Give me a sec, this might take a few seconds…"

The girl proceeded to wave her hands, performing a series of postures until they were across from one another and the other CPUs and candidates suddenly appeared in the Nep Tower. "Huh? Nepgear? Neptune? How did I get here?"

"It's simple. I brought you all here so you may see the truth behind the murder in Lastation." The girl with short white colored hair said as she began to show the others the truth.

Elsewhere, in an uncharted location two figures were walking down a series of stairs which was surrounded by small torches and darkness. One of the figures appeared to be wearing a mouse hoodie while the other was wearing a casual villain outfit who was carrying something or someone in her right arm.

"It was almost too easy to capture him! Easier than capturing, what was her name? IF? And she's just a petty guild agent. Ha! Hopefully, we'll be able to use _that_ on him." The villain gloated, ecstatic about having captured someone without much effort and without the CPUs getting in her way. Her co-hort simply gazed in unamusement, the two continuing to walk down these stairs.

"Arfoire… your in a awfully good mood. Finally satisfied with capturing this weakling?" The figure wearing a mouse outfit chimed in but Arfoire ignored the pointless comment of a minion. They continued to walk a great distance until they came upon large metal doors. Waving her fingers with several gestures, Arfoire opened the doors, coming upon a chamber of sorts.

In the center was some sort of torture device but it was meant for a person to be held captive in. Speaking of which, Arfoire placed the boy she had captured onto the torture bed? And restrained him with cuffs attached to the device. "This should do. Now it's your turn."

"Yeah yeah, I know it's my turn! This plan of your is turning out to be rather, interesting." A floating fairy-like creature appeared from the side where only darkness lurked in, carrying a mask in its arms. Moving closer to the unconscious Thomas, the creature carefully placed the mask on the boy.

"Urrk!" A dark red aura formed around the boy, kicking and screaming at the agonizing pain he was feeling. Struggling to escape, the boy constantly moved about until the restraints keeping him at bay began to cave in under the pressure while Arfoire simply smirked. "So weak… I thought it would be different than the others."

"Oh trust me, it is! Just look at this! It's been 15 seconds but the previous subject died at a mere 5 seconds. Ha, classic." While the two exchanged words, they failed to notice the boy slowly breaking the restraints, including the ones holding his legs at bay. "Almost there…"

Finally, the boy broke free of his restraints and charged at the two but his punch stopped a mere five inches away from Arfoire's face. The boy stood straight, unmoving, his red aura gone. "It worked! Ahaha! Finally! After only two subjects it worked! Guess we didn't need the others still stashed away."

"Now then, boy, follow me. We're going to cause a massive amount of destruction." The being complied, following after Arfoire through a portal and disappeared soon after.

In Planeptune, the girl with white colored hair had just finished showing the evidence to Neptune and the others who thought about what they had seen. "So it really wasn't him huh? I had a feeling that something was wrong after seeing the news for myself.

"You understand. Good, better than what Neptune displayed earlier. No matter. What do the siblings have to say?" The girl turned her attention to the siblings, with Nepgear and Uni in deep thought but Rom and Ram were rather confused by all this. "Was he framed? But why?"

"A third party wanted to insure a form of chaos into Gamindustri and decided to kill a citizen. But is that really all? There is far more going on here than meets the eye." The girl commented once more with Nepgear taking a seat next to Uni. "Earlier that day, when I saw Thomas run away, in his eyes I noticed he was incredibly sad…"

"So that's how he felt. Then it means what I've been thinking is correct. Save for the candidates, Blanc and Histoire, it seemed you unintentionally pushed Thomas away…" Pondering on the situation, the girl walked towards the window and stared at the nation of Planeptune in its beauty. "B-but I didn't… do anything…"

"You did do something, even without my knowledge of it, your eyes give it away. Uni, what did Noire do to Thomas?" The girl quickly asked Uni who became startled, lost in thought. "Oh, uh… she yelled at Thomas for dirtying her floor and…"

"There's no need to go into great detail. Noire, you should really think before you speak. This is not good, not good at all... Neptune, what do you think you did?" Moving onto Neptune who was staring at the ceiling, she thought of something bad she did but came up blank. "I guess I didn't do anything?"

"That appears to be the case. I already know IF was trying to arrest him which is understandable. Hmm…" The slightly-taller than Vert girl began pondering on what she heard from the CPUs, candidates and humans. After a very short while, the girl finally spoke up.

"I understand. Thank you for your input. It's a shame you pushed him away. You need to repair your relationship with him and-" Before the girl could finish, an explosion was heard and seen in the distance with Neptune and the others rushing to the window. "Again? In my own nation?!"

"Neptune… why would this happen again?" Vert interjected but Neptune had already activated her HDD form to investigate what was causing such ruckus. She was going as fast as she could to see what was damaging her nation yet again. "Yes! Yes! Destroy everything! Hahaha!"

"That voice.. Arfoire?! It can't be… urrk!" Closing in on the commotion, much of the grassland was broken and damaged through unknown means, only two figures could be seen watching from above. "Testing his power is so much fun… now! Destroy the forest!"

The being looked toward the forest and began charging a powerful energy blast and fired it, sending it towards the forest with Neptune retaliating with an attack of her own. "Huh. Who are you? Why are you burning my home?"

"Neptune huh… hehe. Good, a being to test his powers on!" Neptune turned her attention to the being who was wearing a casual t-shirt, jeans, boots and donned a mask on its face. "Who is this person? No matter. He's threatening my home, this I cannot allow."

Descending to the ground, Neptune took her stance while the being floated motionless in the sky above her. Blindly charging in, Neptune threw a slicing attack upwards but the being merely dodged as well as dodging a kick to the side. "Change of plans… attack Neptune!"

The figure complied and retaliated with a punch to which Neptune had to block the blow using both arms, just barely. Grabbing her sword, Neptune swung sideways but the figure dodged once more, countering with a kick to the stomach which caused Neptune to gurgle, throwing her a few feet away.

"*Sigh.* Urrk." Neptune sheathes her sword and opts to use brunt force to confront the unknown being, at least to Neptune but tried as she might, all of her moves were being countered one after the other. "Haaaa!"

"..." The figure caught Neptune's punch using only one hand and proceeded to kick her away, sending her flying a few more feet away, not by a wide margin. Summoning her sword once more, she took a different stance than before and raised her sword upwards. "Cross Combination!"

Several flames in the shape of a half-crescent moon were sent in the beings direction who knew not what to do, just floated. Arfoire did nothing, curious as to how effective the attacks would be against her new minion. When the attacks came into contact with the being, a blazing inferno enveloped the being completely.

"Huuh… that was indeed difficult. I'm not sure what's going on here but it's over Arfoire!" Neptune turns her attention to Arfoire who's expression remained unchanged, the CPU moved closer to Arfoire. "Hmph. Says you."

"...!" Suddenly, a hand reached out of the inferno, grabbing Neptune by the head from behind. To her surprise and utter shock, the being had suffered minor burn marks from the attack and began punching her using it's other hand, Neptune grunting between attacks. "Isn't this interesting…? Hehe. Now, toss her to the ground and finish her off!"

The being grabbed Neptune with both hands and forcibly slammed her to the ground, creating a small crater not enough to be seen from a distance. Ascending to the ground, the being conjured a sword out of thin air and proceeded to end her life but noticed an axe flying in it's direction. "Catch it!"

However, it was a bit too late for the being lost the sword in its hand, the axe going around like a boomerang and returned to its master, the CPU of Lowee. "Well well well… Neptune, when are you going to learn? We don't fight alone!"

"B...Blanc…?" Blanc was floating across from the being who turned its attention to Blanc who raised her axe to attack. Beside her, Noire and Vert arrived to confront the ones laying waste to this land. "We meet again, Arfoire. It's been what, 3 years since we last fought? We will defeat you the same as before!"

"Do not think we will let you harm one of our friends, Arfoire!" The 3 CPUs proceeded to enter they're respective stances, preparing to take down Arfoire and the being unknown to them.


	15. Chapter 15 Battle of Confusion

First off, before I begin, this week is double chapter week! This also means the 1st arc of this story is going to end with chapter 16. Not the story, just the arc. I realize I made several mistakes along the way which is to be expected. That's all.

"Here we go!" Noire was the first, throwing a kick to the side which was blocked but Vert dashed past her, using her spear to attempt an attack but the being caught it with the other hand. Kneeing her in the stomach, Vert was sent flying away with the being promptly punching Noire away as well.

"This guy is… strong!" Vert noticed, the force of the attack rendering her unable to participate whilst Noire struggled to hit the being with her sword. When she swung forward, the being ducked and proceeded to kick Noire downwards, sending her crashing to the ground.

"...!" Pushing the ground, Noire was able to launch herself upward but the being swatted her away into a tree, snapping it in two. "I don't get it… was he this strong before?"

"Haa!" Vert charged in after recovering but her spear was blocked using only one hand, as if it had connected with steel. Grabbing her by the head, the being smashed her against the ground and tossed her aside, turning its attention to Neptune.

"Oh no… Neptune!" Noire cried out as she charged at the being who slammed her against a tree, coughing up blood and falling to the ground. Blanc did so as well but was punched to the ground while Vert was unable to fight back, magic barring her way. "How incredibly resilient you cursed CPUs are. But it won't matter, you will die here."

Arfoire retorted casted a spell at Vert who snapped it in two but it detonated, completely engulfing Vert while Blanc swung downwards with her axe which was stopped by the being, only using two fingers. It then tossed the axe away and grabbed Blanc by the face.

Moments later, Blanc was kneed in the stomach and bombarded with a barrage of punches, the force of which sent her flying toward Noire who with Vert was able to catch her, barely. The being then raised it's fist, preparing to finish off Neptune who was finding it difficult to get up.

"Urrk! Come on Neptune! Pull yourself together! We need you." Blanc said through her aches and pains, the being beginning to finish her off. However, unbeknownst to it, Neptune was still in her HDD form and proceeded to release all her strength in one kick, concentrating on the maski the being was wearing.

The force of the kick was enough to catch the being off-balance who quickly regained it's posture. Grabbing Neptune by the neck, a punch was thrown at Neptune but stopped by mere inches, a crack being heard.

One part of the mask broke off, the face of the being revealed with the background of the eyes being green to match the other side, revealing to be none other than Thomas. He began to lose control, grasping his head while the others watched in confusion. "No way… Thomas?! But why?! Why couldn't we remember him before?!"

"It must be that mask. I've heard tales of mind control but I didn't think it was actually real…" Noire watched as Thomas floated in place, not fighting anyone else while Arfoire grew frustrated and halted her spells on Vert. She then used the ring on her right hand. No! I won't lose him! Obey me! Kill the CPUs! Now!"

Thomas began pulsating at the same time as the ring pulsated, the others noticing this and quickly averted their attention toward Arfoire. "The ring! We have to destroy it! And quickly!"

When Vert charged at Arfoire once more, she kept Vert at bay with her barrier which expanded forth, doing the best she could with the staff she conjured in her left hand. Waving her staff, she conjured several energy attacks which converged on Vert, detonating in a deadly pillar-like yellow explosion.

"Grr! Enough! I said obey me! Obey me you stupid human!"

Continuing to pulsate, the others watched on as a strange red aura began to surround Thomas who had just past his breaking point and to everyone's surprise… "... HAAA!"

Thomas let out a loud yell, the aura transforming into a crimson-red shockwave which sended everyone but Arfoire many feet away before the ring on Arfoire's right hand cracked, completely destroying it. "Oh no!"

Grabbing her without hesitation, Thomas sent Arfoire crashing to the ground and released a powerful yell which startled the others who were in awe in shock. ""In the time we fought Arfoire, it always took all us CPUs and the candidates, not to mention the humans, to take her down. And yet, Thomas was able to do so without even trying. This is truly a sight to behold."

"It's that mask of his! That's why, for a time, we forgot who Thomas was. Now, we fight to free him. Because he is… our friend!" Noire yelled, charging toward Thomas who blocked the attack but didn't anticipate Blanc and Vert join in, aiming for the mask but was thrown into Noire with his free hand. Neptune, still battered from her previous battle, joins in as well, throwing a punch to the side which does nothing.

Thomas quickly swats the others away before charging straight for Neptune, slamming her to the ground and throwing her around like a ragdoll. "Not good… he's become even more dangerous than before! Could it be when Arfoire lost her hold on him, it caused him to go out of control?"

"Now isn't the time for that!" Blanc swings sideways, aiming for the mask but Thomas countered with his right hand and grabbed said weapon, pulling her forward and dealing a heavy blow to the abdomen. Blanc fell on her knees, coughing up small amounts of blood while Thomas pounded on Neptune once more.

"Dammit! Haa… huh?" Quickly backing away, an energy blast made contact with Thomas who emerged unscathed, turning his attention towards whoever fired the blast, belonging to none other than Uni.

"Uni! What the hell are you doing?! I told you to stay at the Basilicom!" Noire began arguing with her younger sister, not noticing the being had dashed towards her. Noire quickly took chase but was swatted away with more ease than before, closing in on Uni.

Just as Thomas jumped in and proceeded to attack Uni, ice surrounded both of his arms. Rom and Ram appeared from above in they're HDD forms, having just used they're magic. "Sorry Miss Uni. We were a bit late…"

"No no, you arrived just in time! Thank you." Uni proceeded to fire several shots at Thomas, point-blank range but all her attacks bounced off of his chest. "Uni, the mask! Urrk. Destroy it!"

"The mask huh? Thanks sis." She charged up another blast as Thomas attempted to shatter the ice but Rom and Ram were persistent, not allowing Thomas to attack any further. Backing away a bit to get more space, Uni prepared to fire the blast when Thomas suddenly let out a loud yell which completely shattered the ice encasing his arms.

"I can still make it… haa!" Uni fully charged her weapon and pulled the trigger, an energy blast flying toward Thomas who caught it with his right hand but the force of the blast was in fact, pushing him back. Rom and Ram proceeded to back away but failed to notice something else. "Now Nepgear!

"Right!" Two figures charged through the energy blast and successfully kicked Thomas straight in the face, the force of which made contact with the mask, catching him off-balance. Just as Thomas prepared to attack Nepgear, a crack was heart and the mask snapped in two, finally breaking off his face.

His eyes had returned to normal with the others surprised at the stunt Nepgear and Uni pulled against such a powerful being. "Nepgear… she actually did it! Same with Uni. Great job you two!"

Neptune congratulated the two who were then hugged by they're respective older siblings. Just when Thomas was collapsing to the ground, he only uttered one name. "Nepgear…."


	16. Chapter 16 Recovery

Two days had passed since that day when Arfoire cut Thomas loose against Planeptune but no one had any idea where Arfoire got such a powerful item from. The boy was resting in Nepgear/Neptune's room after the CPUs and candidates were bluntly told by Histoire, er, yelled at for neglecting one of their friends.

"Thomas… I had no idea I was pushing you away. Histy yelled at us for hours for that but it seemed Blanc, Nepgear, Rom, Ram and Uni were excluded from that conversation. Please get well soon…" Neptune said as she took a seat elsewhere. The others took turns watching over Thomas after figuring out who attacked the city days ago.

From what the CPUs gathered, Arfoire had planted bombs around the buildings in order to drive Neptune and Nepgear away while Arfoire herself snuck into Nep Tower and smashed her console to bits with a toy Thomas owned. "Some CPUs we turned out to be…"

Ever since Thomas was brought to her room, Neptune had been blaming herself for not being a good friend to Thomas with Nepgear feeling a degree of melancholy with the twins and Uni feeling the same. But they couldn't do much aside from watching over him.

Right now, it was Nepgear and Neptune's turn who felt incredibly guilty about the whole mess that transpired, all because they didn't acknowledge Thomas as their friend. "Please get better soon…"

"Sis, it's time for Noire and Uni to take over." Nepgear called out to Neptune who wasn't paying attention to the clock adorning a wall across from her. "Alright, let's go Nep Jr."

The two girl's left the room, Noire and Uni taking over but merely sat across from Thomas, not knowing what to do in such a situation. "Arfoire might attack again… we can't let her get to Thomas again."

"She has a lot of guts to kidnap a human like that, even more in my own nation! Urrk! Sorry Uni. I'm just… frustrated at what happened." Noire hit the wall closest to her lightly, not wanting to damage anything. Uni simply looked at her sister with sadness but immediately turned it away so as to not cause her any worry.

"Where's IF? Is she still looking for it?" Uni speaks, not knowing what other subject she should be talking about at this point. "Yeah. From what I can tell, he lost something important to him before his capture. That leather jacket he's always wearing."

True to that, before Thomas was kidnapped, his jacket was tossed aside by Arfoire before being rendered unconscious. Luckily, Uni was able to direct IF to where the jacket could be so that's good.

"That's good. I really hope he wakes up soon…" Uni dons a saddened expression once more as she continues to look out the window, hearing various sounds in the distance. Noire was standing next to Thomas who was resting on the bed, not sure of what she should do or say next.

"Thomas… I'm… sorry for what I did. I was a…" As Noire prepared to finish her sentence, Thomas' eyes began to open, albeit slowly. "Thomas!"

Both Noire and Uni proceed to hug Thomas after waking up from roughly two days of sleep. "I'm… I'm so sorry for..being mean… *Sob*" Uni was holding onto Thomas very tightly, appearing to be very worried and relieved at Thomas' awakening.

"Uni… I don't recall you ever being mean to me." The boy hugs Uni in return who smiles and upon seeing Noir's eyes, grabs Thomas from one side while Noire takes the opposite. The two begin dragging Thomas to the living room by his hands. "Wait, what's going… on…?"

"It's better if we show it to you rather than explain." Noire vaguely uttered to Thomas, the three of them coming upon the living room where a figure rushed toward Thomas, who was revealed to be Nepgear. "Thomas! *Sob* I'm glad your ok!"

"Huh? Nepgear? Oh right… that person captured me. But what am I doing here?" His question was met with silence for a while, Nepgear continually hugging Thomas who knew not what to do in this situation. "Allow me to explain. Two days ago, you were kidnapped by Arfoire and apparently forced to do her bidding."

"Ah, so I was mind controlled then? Strange, I don't feel different." Nepgear soon let go of Thomas as the sound of the elevator was heard, Compa and IF exiting the elevator with IF carrying something in her arms. "Thomas, I believe this belongs to you."

"My new hoodie… thank you IF. I appreciate it, I really do." Thomas proceeds to place his Fairy Tail hoodie back on with the others gathering in front of him, much to Thomas' confusion. "What's this?"

"Thomas, after what happened with Arfoire and that Underling, for blaming you for something you didn't do, we apologize." Vert speaks up for the others as everyone, save for Blanc, Nepgear, Rom, Ram and Uni bow in apology to Thomas who was taken aback by this. "Woah! Calm down, it's alright. This isn't really a big deal."

"R-really? But we-" Vert was cut off by Noire who shook her head in disapproval as they looked at Thomas' expression which was plain and calm, absent of anger and frustration. "I see. I understand now. Then, if you don't mind my asking, where would you like to live in?"

"I hadn't really thought about that. I'm only familiar with Planeptune so I guess I'll be living in the Nep Tower?" Neptune soon smiled at his words and jumped with excitement, happy to have a new neighbor. "Alright! This calls for a celebration. Compa, get the goods out!"

"You got it Nep-Nep!" Compa jolted to the kitchen, readying numerous food items, game items and other various things while Thomas stood there, not sure of how he should act. "Neptune! Your going to make a mess! Ugh, leave this to me."

"Why is everyone… acting this way?" Thomas, still confused, was soon approached by Rom and Ram who looked as cheery as usual. "It's because we're your friends, silly! Duh."

"That would explain it… hmm… I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing if I remained here." Rom and Ram proceeded to drag Thomas to a rather large table full of numerous food items which looked absolutely exquisite. "Well? Aren't you going to join us, Thomas?"

Thomas, with a simile, replied with,"Yes, I'm in!"

Well, that's the end of arc 1. A new poll has been created linked to my profile. That is all. Until next time!


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